As 76ers star Ben Simmons continues to keep his team in the dark about his potential return date, GM Daryl Morey is expected to hold firm in his hunt for the ultimate trade package.
In his latest update on the Ben Simmons saga, NBA Insider Marc Stein revealed the expectation among rival executives around the league. Apparently, nobody is expecting Ben to land on a new team before February’s deadline.
“If Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey finds a deal he likes for Ben Simmons in the next 13 days, he will surprise an overwhelming majority of his peers. I can’t find a team out there these days that believes Morey is bluffing about keeping Simmons past the deadline.”
Despite his hiatus from action, Simmons has generated some interest by teams. Among his strongest pursuers were the Sacramento Kings, who opted out of negotiations earlier this week.
The Sacramento Kings — one of the most aggressive teams in the trade market and once an eager suitor for Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons — have ended their pursuit of a deal with the 76ers and turned elsewhere in trade talks, sources told ESPN on Friday.
The Kings’ roster represented one of the Sixers’ best options for a Simmons deal ahead of the trade deadline. Losing them in the marketplace somewhat diminishes the chances of an in-season trade, although the Sixers still believe there are potential avenues to a deal, sources said.
With the Kings exiting talks and sources saying the Brooklyn Nets will not engage on a James Harden trade, it becomes increasingly possible that 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey will be willing to advance the Simmons discussions into the offseason.
Simmons, 25, went out on a sour note after he and his squad were sent home by a young and inexperienced Hawks team in Round 2.
At the time, Ben was at the center of blame and criticism by fans for his offensive flaws and his reluctance to shoot the basketball.
Weeks later, news of Ben’s trade request would go viral and it quickly made headlines around the country.
Now, it appears the saga will likely extend well into the summer and nobody can say for certain when, or how, it will end.
