It is well known that Ben Simmons wants a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, but thus far, the Philadelphia 76ers have resisted trading the 3-time All-Star. Part of that is due to the fact that they’re unlikely to get a good return for him at this moment.
Daryl Morey has recently spoken on the Ben Simmons situation, and it’s clear that he is confident in the team’s ability to get a good deal for Ben Simmons. He has stated that the 76ers are willing to keep him for “4 years”, and boldly proclaimed that it’s either Ben Simmons playing for the team or the 76ers getting back a “difference-maker”.
Morey on his timeline: "You're going to think I'm kidding, I'm not. This could (go on for) 4 years. … We're in the prime of Joel's career…Either Ben Simmons is playing for us, or we have to get back a difference maker."
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) October 21, 2021
"I will go through mud, muck, across barbed wire. Whatever pain or process it takes to win a title. It's annoying to you, but it is not annoying to us. It is a uniting factor right now."
-Daryl Morey
— Sixers Nation (@PHLSixersNation) October 21, 2021
Would you rather eliminate what people perceive to be a distraction, or would you rather have better playoff odds? I’ll take playoff odds…Whatever we have to deal with that helps the Philadelphia 76ers win the title, we’ll do it.
You’re going to think I’m kidding, I’m not. This could (go on for) 4 years. … We’re in the prime of Joel’s career… Either Ben Simmons is playing for us, or we have to get back a difference maker.
I will go through mud, muck, across barbed wire. Whatever pain or process it takes to win a title. It’s annoying to you, but it is not annoying to us. It is a uniting factor right now.
It’s clear that the Philadelphia 76ers are willing to hold out to get their desired trade package for Ben Simmons, no matter the displeasure it causes them. Daryl Morey is known as one of the best GMs in the league, and he should be able to work out a deal eventually. It was previously reported that the 76ers are talking to 10 different teams about Ben Simmons, so there’s no shortage of franchises interested in his services.
We’ll have to wait and see how long it takes for Ben Simmons to be traded, but as Daryl Morey mentioned, it could go on the full four years that are left on Ben Simmons’ contract. Hopefully, this situation will get resolved sooner rather than later, but it could definitely drag on for a while.
