Ben Simmons has been the All-Star player considered the most on the trade market ever since the 76ers season ended with Simmons being the focal point of frustration in Philadelphia during their second round loss to the Hawks.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on the Woj & Lowe special that Philly is very much “engaged” in Simmons talks, not just in accepting offers but making calls and offers of their own to try and figure out who the best possible player they can get in return is. Given their stature as the East’s top-seed this last season, Philly is not looking for a package where the featured return is draft assets, but instead they need immediate impact.
As such, the Sixers find themselves in a bit of a predicament. They may have to get in on serious trade talks this week leading up to the draft because other stars — namely Bradley Beal — are most likely to be dealt by Thursday night if they are traded at all, and the Sixers certainly would want in on the Beal sweepstakes. However, if Beal doesn’t become available, the best opportunity for a trade may just be once the dust settles in free agency and a team or two who missed out on their preferred targets are suddenly a bit more desperate to make a deal.
Whatever the case, trading Simmons is seen as “inevitable” within the organization, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, it’s just a matter of figuring out when they can maximize their return.
It’s inevitable, according to league sources. It’s just not clear when it will happen, where he will go, and what the Sixers will receive in return.
“Philadelphia has options,” a league source told The Inquirer. “They’re just not finite.”
The timing of a deal seems to be dependent on who becomes available when. The Sixers’ desire to upgrade their backcourt on the offensive end is well known, and dealing Simmons is their best chance to add a lead guard with scoring punch. The pressure they feel to trade Simmons could also be dependent on the Kyle Lowry sweepstakes, as the Sixers desire to bring Lowry home to Philly is well known but they have ample competition from the likes of the Heat, Pelicans, Mavs, and others, all looking to bolster their playoff dreams with a strong veteran point guard.
If they could get Lowry without moving Simmons, that could alleviate the feeling that dealing Simmons is a must and put the Sixers back in a position of power in negotiations. Without Lowry, desperation might set in and the bar may lower for a Simmons deal (bringing everyone’s favorite fake trade, CJ McCollum for Simmons, back into focus).