In recent weeks, the Philadelphia 76ers have emerged as one of the top trade destinations for James Harden. There were reports that Ben Simmons was the piece Philly was going to include in a trade package to the Houston Rockets for the reigning 2019-20 scoring champion. Former Rockets GM and current 76ers president Daryl Morey told Shams Charania of The Athletic on December 17th that Simmons is not on the table.
In response, 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium: “We are not trading Ben Simmons — he is an important part of our future.” https://t.co/W6T7HQjjoP
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 18, 2020
While this move confused many fans, some NBA insiders were not convinced by Morey’s statement. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst cast his doubt on Morey’s believability on his Hoops Collective podcast on December 21st.
“Daryl Morey in my view… is not credible with what he says publicly about his trade intentions. So, he comes out the other and says ‘we’re not gonna trade Ben Simmons’ I do not find that credible. In addition to the fact that very good reporters have reported that Simmons is available, and I’ve heard myself that Ben Simmons is available.”
It makes sense, from a player morale perspective to not isolate players from the team by admitting to your willingness to trade them. However, the 6’10” point guard/power forward seems to pale in comparison to the 2017-18 MVP whom Morey has a report with as former general manager of the Rockets.
The James Harden sweepstakes have gone on for a while ever since his request for a trade during the 2020 offseason. Reports have surfaced of Houston pushing to get a deal done before the start of the season on Tuesday. Time seems to be running out, it will be interesting to see if Morey will undermine his credibility and pull the trigger on a trade.
