The Ben Simmons saga continues in Philadelphia, as the 76ers aren’t rushing a move for their disgruntled point guard. The relationship between the player and the team fell apart after his collapse against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2021 NBA playoffs.
After that moment, the player decided it was time to look for a new challenge and decided to cut every communication with the team, even refusing to meet teammates during the offseason.
He’s still inactive and nobody knows when he will come back, while others think his time with the Sixers is already done. The team is trying to ship him away as soon as possible, but nothing is certain right now. Philly’s asking price is very high for most teams around the league and everything points out they will wait until the offseason to get rid of Ben.
Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice reports that the team is getting ready to keep Simmons even after the upcoming trade deadline strikes.
With the NBA trade deadline looming less than a week from Friday, it appears increasingly likely Ben Simmons will be with the Sixers after the deadline’s conclusion, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The Sixers have had at least exploratory conversations regarding Simmons with a number of franchises around the league, including the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, and Washington Wizards, sources say. The problem from where we sit on February 4th — the Sixers continue to wait on an offer that either significantly moves their title odds forward this season or blows them away with assets that can help them acquire the level of star they are after at a later date. So far, such a deal has not materialized.
They have tried to send Simmons away, but the rest of the league isn’t keen on adding the playmaker. There aren’t many teams that can make a move for the Australian and everything points out we’ll have to wait until the summer to see which squad will take the risk with Simmons and what’s next for his career.
