Ben Simmons and the 76ers haven’t exactly been on good terms over the past few months.
After suffering an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Atlanta, the sense of urgency within the Sixers organization increased dramatically, as did the calls to trade Simmons, the guy many fans blamed for the team’s collapse.
Since the end of their playoff run, Ben has made it clear that he has no desire to return to the team, and it seems bridges have been burned throughout this whole ordeal.
But with the way that Simmons looked to end the season, and Daryl Morey’s reluctance to lower his asking price in trade talks, the young guard still remains a member of the organization, and it’s looking unlikely that Philly will end up with any offer they like.
In response to this reality, Simmons himself apparently let the team know that it’s not his job nor his concern to worry about his own trade value.
“One of the messages that Ben has sent back towards Philly is that it’s not his job to fix his trade value. It’s not his job to correct his trade value or raise his trade value. That is not something that’s on the menu for him,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst remarked Wednesday on The Jump. “I don’t think he’s interested in coming in and trying to change the situation.”
By all accounts, Simmons is done with the Sixers. Despite four seasons with the team, and several of them including All-Star appearances, the situation seems unsalvageable at this point.
Over the next few weeks, we should expect trade talks to continue, as more and more pressure gets put on the 76ers to comply with the demands of their disgruntled star.
The question is, which team will end up with him in the end?
Several reports have confirmed that Simmons is adamant about being sent to a California team, meaning any team outside the Pacific division poses a big risk in giving up assets for him.
Regardless, nothing will happen at all unless Daryl Morey lowers his expectations. Simmons’ trade value is at an all-time low, and he has no intention of helping his team deal with that.
