Ben Simmons continues to exist in a state of limbo. The battle lines have been draw in his effort to get a trade out of Philadelphia — Simmons wants out as soon as possible, the Sixers want to get a whole heck of a lot back for him — and for all the escalations of things that have occurred in recent weeks (Simmons’ camp expressing that he’s done playing with Joel Embiid, Embiid’s response, the Sixers withholding his salary), the basic fact remains that neither side is willing to budge.
If a trade does pop up in the coming days or weeks, though, perhaps it will come from one of the teams mentioned in a new report by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. According to Pompey, six teams are still doing their due diligence on whether or not it’d make sense to bring him on board.
“A league source said the Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and San Antonio Spurs are still inquiring about Simmons’ availability,” Pompey wrote.
Two of these teams, the Wolves and the Cavs, have been linked to Simmons for essentially the duration of the offseason. The Pacers, Raptors, and Spurs have been mentioned on and off as potential destinations, while the Pistons would be a fascinating landing spot, if only because one would assume they’d want to put the ball in the hands of back-to-back lottery picks Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes as much as possible.