The Ben Simmons saga may be cooling off, but it doesn’t mean the fans have forgotten.
After a summer of grueling drama, Simmons still has yet to suit up for the Sixers, and it’s inevitable that he gets traded elsewhere at some point in the near future.
During a game against Portland, Sixers fans went viral for one particular chant regarding the offseason drama.
It happened early in the first quarter when they started “recruiting” Damian Lillard.
Sixers fans chanting “we want Lillard.”
(via @NBAKrell)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 1, 2021
It might sound like a pipe dream, but Lillard had been a target for the Sixers throughout the summer, and it seems they’re still holding out hope they can land him to pair with Joel Embiid.
(per Derek Bodner of The Athletic)
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has always been steadfast in his pursuit of superstars, with his team-building philosophy being the epitome of “star hunting” long before the phrase was ever translated to Bostralian. From the very start of Morey’s tenure in Philadelphia the organization was almost singularly focused on monitoring the James Harden situation in Houston, according to sources both inside and out of the organization. Since the Sixers’ season ended the team has similarly kept a watchful eye on the status of Lillard in Portland. From the Sixers’ perspective, it would be fair to say the goal is less to trade Ben Simmons and more to acquire Damian Lillard.
So, the Sixers front office still has their eye son Dame, even if Dame himself isn’t ready to move on from Portland.
As for the fans, they’ve made it clear who they want, and it’s pretty funny that they were willing to chant it with Dame there.
Unfortunately, it’s looking like they’ll have to wait a while longer before the situation with Ben sees a conclusion.
Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.
