Ben Simmons will be a major talking point going into this season. As of now, Simmons has demanded a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. After months of speculation about his future, the Australian point guard has made his position very clear to Philly.
Simmons’ time in Philly has been a mixed bag. At first, he showed signs of great promise. Especially so, after his first season in 2017-18, where he won Rookie Of The Year.
Within his first few seasons, Simmons earned several All-Star and All-Defensive nominations. But his regular season performances have never been part of the problem. The postseason is always where Simmons ends up floundering.
Most notably, the 2021 NBA Playoffs seemed to be the point where 76ers fans gave up on Simmons. Simmons performed extremely poorly during the series against the Atlanta Hawks, especially in the close-out game.
Since then, fans have been demanding that Simmons be traded. On top of that, the franchise has been trying to trade him away. But the 76ers have placed a high price tag on him.
But as they haven’t been able to find a suitable offer for him, the 76ers will consider lowering their price tag for Simmons.
The 76ers will want to get a decent haul for him, which shouldn’t be difficult given Simmons is still a young All-Star with time on his side.
But it appears Simmons leaving is by no means guaranteed. According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, The 76ers are not ruling out the possibility that Simmons starts the season with them, and thinks there is a good chance they will.
On top of that, he added that 76ers GM Daryl Morey is willing to let the situation grow further hostile if it means they can maximize their return for Simmons.
“I think there is a good chance Ben Simmons is still on the roster when camp tips off. If there is any front office leader who is willing to let things get uncomfortable and minimize the personality conflicts that might be involved here, it is Morey.”
Simmons’ future will be a topic to watch over the next few weeks. It will be interesting to see what comes off this latest development
