Ben Simmons is yet to play for the Philadelphia 76ers this season as his standoff continues and the relationship seems to have crossed the point of no repair. The Sixers have reportedly turned down some trade offers for Simmons, with rumors suggesting they could be waiting till the offseason to use him as a piece to possibly land James Harden.
Bill Simmons has been a huge critic of the Sixers’ strategy, and a proponent of the idea that Ben Simmons is a damaged asset. Since his assertion on that front, Bill has taken to his The Bill Simmons podcast, to break down Ben’s situation and suggest that there are very few options available for the Sixers to get a trade done (via u/deadweightboss on Reddit).
“He doesn’t want to play for the Sixers anymore because… Rivers embarrassed him? He doesn’t want to get booed by the fans? He lost his confidence as long as he’s wearing a Philly uniform? I mean, what’s going on here? If it’s a mental health issue, then how does that work for the 29 other teams who might want to trade for him?
“If Sacramento deals for him tomorrow, his mental health suddenly becomes fine, so it’s a conditional mental health issue just related to Philly? For someone making $33 million a year (and climbing) in a league with a salary cap, how does this work?
“Well, the 76ers did the math and they still want Simmons to come back because, they know, when Simmons plays, they’re one of the NBA’s best defensive teams, they’re one of the better rebounding teams, they’re one of the better transition teams, they have size, they have an actual chance to win the title and if you replace him with anyone other than the best 30 players, that is no longer the case. Well, nobody wants to trade a top 30 player for him.”
“They’re not getting:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Steph Curry
- Luka Doncic
- LeBron James
- Ja Morant
- Kevin Durant
- Devin Booker
- Trae Young
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Donovan Mitchell
- Jayson Tatum
- James Harden
- Jimmy Butler
- Anthony Davis
- Bam Adebayo
- Nikola Jokic
- DeMar DeRozan
- Zach LaVine
- Jaylen Brown
- Bradley Beal
“They’re not getting valuable vets on contenders like:
- Chris Paul
- Khris Middleton
- Draymond Green
- Jrue Holiday
- Rudy Gobert
- Klay Thompson
And that’s up to 26.
They’re not getting valuable young stars from teams that like those young stars. Guys like:
- Evan Mobley
- LaMelo Ball
- Darius Garland
- Cade Cunningham
- Josh Giddey
- Scottie Barnes
- Jonathan Kuminga
- Anthony Edwards
- Franz Wagner
- DeAndre Ayton
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
- Brandon Ingram
“You’re not getting those guys! Well, now we’re up to 38 guys. Injured stars like,
- Kawhi Leonard
- Zion Williamson
- Jamal Murray
- Paul George
- Michael Porter Jr.
“They don’t make sense for either size for a variety of reasons. They’re not trading for Kyrie. I sure hope not.
“That’s 44 guys who don’t make sense in a Ben Simmons trade. So, would Philly completely overpay for an injured Dame? Maybe? That’s how grim this is. Trying to talk a semi-tanking Portland team into Simmons and Maxey and a hundred first-round picks for a 32-year-old little guy with a fucked up abdomen. That semi tanking team is probably saying ‘no thanks, we’re good.’ “
While Bill Simmons might be right about teams not wanting to give up too much for Ben Simmons, some of these suggestions are a bit over the top considering that Ben is a 3-time All-Star and a 2-time All-Defensive Team player. In any case, it seems more and more like any trade for the Australian might have to wait till the end of the season, which means Simmons could lose out on a whole year’s salary.
