The Ben Simmons – Philadelphia 76ers standoff continues, as the All-Star guard still refuses to report to the team as it prepares for the 2021-22 season. Simmons has made it clear that he has no interest in re-joining the team, and has reportedly even packed up his house in Philadelphia with it expected to be put up for sale soon, per Stadium’s Shams Charania.
While Simmons continues to wait out the Sixers while the franchise tries to either convince him to re-join the team or find a trade for him, there hasn’t been much progress on the trade front. The Sixers reportedly asked the Portland Trail Blazers for three first-round picks and three pick swaps in a package that would send guard CJ McCollum to Philly in exchange for Simmons, but Portland turned that proposal down, per Charania.
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It’s not surprising that the Trail Blazers turned that offer down, as the Sixers asking price for Simmons hasn’t been met by any team in the league. Philadelphia wants an All-Star caliber player in return for the All-Defensive guard, in addition to multiple first-round draft picks, but the needle hasn’t moved yet on making a deal.
Other teams like the Indiana Pacers, who have been linked to Simmons, reportedly don’t have the high-level talent the Sixers are looking for, per Marc Stein, as they’ve been offering Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert in exchange for Simmons.
Based on the fact that the Sixers haven’t lowered their asking price for Simmons, it appears as though Philly isn’t in any sort of rush to make a deal just for the sake of it. This means this saga could carry into the regular season.
