Neither the 76ers nor Ben Simmons have publicly hinted at any sort of split, but there is a lingering sense that his days as a Sixer are numbered.
Between unrest by fans and increasing pressure from Embiid, now is the best time for the franchise to move on from their young point forward.
Apparently, they’ve already tried.
According to a report by Action Network, the Sixers offered Ben to Toronto for an enormous package including Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and the fourth overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Multiple sources confirmed Sunday that the Toronto Raptors have emerged as a team with “significant” interest in Simmons. One source close to talks said discussions have not been substantial as of yet. Multiple sources including those close to talks said a proposed framework including Raptors guards Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and the 4th overall pick in Thursday’s draft for Simmons was rejected by Toronto.
Some league insiders did bring up a more complicated framework. As a preface, this is speculative based on what executives familiar with the situation have said. The Sixers want Bradley Beal, who is at least considering requesting a trade from the Wizards.
Obviously, the asking price is going to be high for Ben, who is a 3x All-Star, 2x All-Defensive player, and one of the best young players in basketball.
But to ask for such a high price is questionable, especially considering Simmons’ struggles on the offensive end.
With nothing left but Siakam, Toronto would essentially have to re-build around Simmons from the ground up, which wouldn’t really put them in a much better situation than they’re in now.
Nonetheless, we can expect the Sixers to keep their standards high. We’ll see soon enough if any team is willing to meet them.
