There has been intense speculation that if a James Harden trade were to materialize with the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons would be the one leaving Philadelphia. Simmons’ fit with Embiid has often been questioned by critics, who point to the atrocious floor spacing that their roster had last season. But only a few seasons ago, the Simmons-Embiid duo was within one game of the Eastern Conference Finals. They are young; it would make sense for a team to want to keep them together.
While James Harden is an extraordinary basketball player, sometimes it is best to stay the course and let your stars develop chemistry, rather than trading them at the first sight of trouble. NBA Central quoted Adrian Wojnarowski as saying that there is no particular interest in a trade.
"They don’t want to give up Ben Simmons . . . They have in Simmons, an under 25 year old All-NBA player. Teams typically don’t trade those players."
– Adrian Wojnarowski on the Sixers
(Via https://t.co/HqxSF8vNfk) pic.twitter.com/lc2v2ta8YC
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 11, 2020
It makes sense for Daryl Morey to build around his two stars while shopping for an addition to make them a contender. So far, Morey has been relatively quiet on the trade front, but it could change rapidly before the season starts. Morey is a GM that is a magician, and his deals are great for teams trying to build around their stars. With Embiid and Simmons, Morey has his next project. Separating the two would be folly, and it is obvious that one of the best GMs in the league knows that.
