The “overwhelming sense” among NBA insiders is that Ben Simmons will likely still be with the Sixers when training camp opens on September 28, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
As Fischer explains, if Damian Lillard becomes available, the likelihood of a Simmons deal would increase significantly, since the Trail Blazers star appears to be Philadelphia’s preferred trade target. However, there’s a belief in league circles that Lillard will open the season in Portland and give new head coach Chauncey Billups a shot, according to Fischer.
Given the ugly way the 2020/21 season ended in Philadelphia, having Simmons report to training camp could create an uncomfortable dynamic. Fischer suggests that Simmons hasn’t personally been in close contact with Joel Embiid, head coach Doc Rivers, or president of basketball operations Daryl Morey this offseason and may welcome a trade — his representatives have canvassed front offices around the NBA this summer about a potential deal, Fischer adds.
However, with trade talk quieting down and teams more focused on filling out their final roster spots than making any blockbuster moves, a deal may not materialize in the next six weeks or so, and the 76ers appear ready for that possibility, Fischer says.
“Daryl is not afraid to go into training camp with a potentially combustible situation,” a source told Bleacher Report.
Here’s more on Simmons:
- The Timberwolves remain very interested in Simmons, but it will be a challenge for Minnesota to put together a package strong enough to entice the Sixers, according to Fischer, who notes that if Philadelphia makes a non-Lillard deal involving Simmons, the team may try to get pieces that could eventually be flipped to the Trail Blazers for the star guard.
- Sources from the Trail Blazers and Warriors “categorically denied” rumors that any traction was gained in talks about a potential three-team trade involving the 76ers, reports Fischer.
- There’s a faction of the Spurs‘ front office rumored to have strong interest in Simmons, according to Fischer, who says San Antonio was willing to discuss Dejounte Murray and Lonnie Walker prior to the draft.
Simmons is not being traded to GSW. They have Green so they don’t need Simmons. Simmons price is so high that no team will be trading for him until mid season if Sixers decide to trade him. All of these rumors are just click bait by sport writers having nothing to report.
In training camp that price will come down. Once the Sixers realize Damian Lillard is not available they’ll dump Simmons to the highest bidder, either the Kings or The Warriors.
If he goes any where its the Kings. From the inside of warriors management there is a split of attitude on him. Doesn’t sound like they would consider him unless the price is cheap. They want to see what they have first before going after somebody. Saving their money for a deadline buy out star.
That makes sense. Good call arc.
Warriors front office is great at spreading misinformation to the public while also having a strong actionable plan(s) on the side mapped out
Whatever you think the “insider” info is, it is probably not or maybe even the complete opposite …but mission accomplished by GSW and well played . You should know this by Now
Agreed.
The only thing I believe is GSW will make an attempt to win now if possible. Whether they believe BS is worth that price remains to be seen. Clearly they were willing to offer a package for Beal two weeks ago so this idea they’re now in love with Kuminga seems a little specious.
They’re smart enough to know the possibility of Wiseman and Kuminga is far less than winning another title now. Which is possible given Curry’s talent.
“From the inside of warriors management there is a split of attitude on him” –
This sounds like it was cropped from a fansided article ….. What good FO would willingly want this info out? GSW is masterful at plants and media manipulation…Im sure Kerrs years in the booth have helped mightily
I find it funny how people consider wiggs a salary dump. He’s a career 19.5 ppg scorer coming off his most efficient year of his career at 25 years old. I’m not saying he’s worth every penny but 2-way players are worth a lot in today’s game. His hands aren’t great but the rest of his game is rounding into form. Most of these so-called basketball fans only hate him cause he didn’t live up to the junior jordan nickname but the dude is far from a salary dump that needs assets attached to him to get rid of him like most people think. I’d take him over some guys like pascal or ben
I agree with you that Wiggins has value, not sure why people think he would need something attached to dump his $. I don’t think he is better than Siakam, and certainly not better than Simmons.
Not saying he’s a better player overall but I think if he continues to improve his efficiency then he’s a better fit with our roster
Interesting potential 3 team for POR, GSW, PHI.
Simmons, RoCo or Nurk > GSW
PHI > Lillard
POR > Maxey, 2 future PHI firsts, 2/3 of Kuminga, Wiseman, Moody.
I don’t think the Warriors want to trade Jonathan kuminga. I think they’re elated he fell in their lap at number seven. He could be the next star for that team.. he does it all. He just needs to develop as a player and I think in three years he could be something special.
Problem is Wiggins would need to go if they brought in Simmons because of payroll. The warriors bench looks so much more solid with moody and Kuminga coming off the bench they probably want to see what they have before making a trade.
Yup. His summer league performance, while full of those raw mistakes expected of 18 year-olds, has opened eyes. He’s a tank who always seems to be moving downhill. Cleaning up his mistakes and fine-tuning his vision, reads, and decision-making will take a couple years, but give me that product over Simmons any day.
I agree, but warriors want to win now, not in 3 years
I’m pretty sure they want to win in three years. Now too, of course, but I don’t think they view it as an either/or situation. As they shouldn’t.
This trade doesn’t even come close to working for salary matching purposes concerning Golden State. Even if they sent out all 3 of those guys it would be just be $18M in salaries going out and taking back close to $45M.
Even if they could do that it would push their luxury tax bill to around a quarter of a billion dollars, probably much more. Is Simmons worth that?
Wiggins has to go. No way around it. The Warriors are happy where they are as far as expenses and if they bring in a guy like Simmons then a guy by the name of Andrew Wiggins has to go.
I hear ya Ryan – I think your on target here but Wiggins needs to go to POr for salary matching
If POr can walk away w Maxey Kuminga and maybe 2 of Moody Thybull or Wiseman I don’t see how they can walk away –
Id rathr have the young proven assets than draft pick hauls if Im Por, Quasi rebuild here and the potential Philly GSW picks look to be mid 20’s which aint so valuable
I would be cool with that deal if the 76ers ca get Jordan Poole alomg w/Lillard in the deal as well.
Thank god the Timberpuppies don’t have enough…..be dumb to add another brick layer……His defense would be a welcome addition , but not at the cost the Sixers want.
Rumors
Top 3 teams that are really interested in Simmons
Wolves
Spurs
Wizards
How about this
Prince, Beverley and 3 top 5 protected Firsts for Simmons
Unless Philly’s asking price comes WAY down, that won’t be enough.
No…Philly is better with Ben. Doubt Morey trades him for anything less than Dame…with Ben we are still a threat to win the East…
Man all you GM’s are smart.
Man all you Trout Fishermen are smart.
Brown Trout, I don’t see any rules that say posters are not entitled to their opinions. Nor do I read any rule that says GMs only are allowed. That’s the reason for this site–essentially feel free to comment or offer opinions. But you didn’t. You mocked the commenters. That’s not an opinion. And arguments are also welcome.
Fishermen gonna troll
No better bait to drag than Simmons.
Its starts dejounte murray and keldon johnson… would take also two first , pick swap and maybe Thaddeus young
Still wouldn’t get it done. We are still better with Ben than that package. I know people hate Ben, but his value around the league is much higher than with media/fans.
Why not put Draymond in the package if you are GSW? It would be better for GSW to rid of him now while he’s past his peak. He would fit into the Philly mold. Make the sixers tougher. Hold more players accountable. I haven’t ran any trade scenarios. Just honestly curious.
Any trade scenario for Golden State would have to include either Dray or Wiggins with their $24M and $32M salaries, respectively. Possibly even Curry or Klay, if necessary. Sending out any combination of their younger players is far too small an amount to get any expensive player like Simmons.
Hi GreenWood Porter, I see you’re a warrior fan and I like your username !!
I understand “Porter” because you like Otto Porter Jr’s game, but what about GreenWood? Does that refer to Draymond Green’s photography skills from about four years back that he got in a little trouble for?
Anyway, always great to have another Warrior fan on this board. Go GreenWood Porter!! Go Warriors!!
Possibly even Curry? Really? Even you can’t believe that one.
@Green
Even if it’s literally just an observation of salaries that would work, don’t bother mentioning Klay or Curry. Even Draymond is highly unlikely.
You just gave all the reasons why Draymond isn’t going anywhere. He makes GSW tougher, holds players accountable, etc. Simmons is the last guy who is going to do that.
Draymond Green is more important to the Warriors than almost any player outside of Steph Curry. The entire defensive side of the game hinges on Draymond Green’s skill plus his ability to communicate the Golden State Warriors defensive principles to his teammates.
Aside from that, sometimes teams keep iconic players past their Prime. Happened more in the old days than it does today.
Not a chance the Spurs trade Keldon Johnson, let along with Murray and several first round picks. Simmons is not worth it. The Spurs need the young kids play. See what they have and then determine if Lonnie Walker gets a new contract. If not, he’s a restricted free agent next season. Murray, White, Walker, Johnson, Vassell, etc need to play a lot. If they step up, great and I think several of them will. If not, trade the expiring contracts during the season and get a high draft pick.
Ben going to be traded for a bad contract on a non-play-off team. Sixers fans are so confident Ben is worth Dame, they’ll be shocked at what he’ll actually go for.
Ben isn’t coming back. It’s not will they trade him. It’s when. Morey is clueless. He knows as much as the geniuses here. Sept 28 training camp opens. Ben don’t show up. Then his value starts to drop. He doesn’t have to play. Don’t you get it. He has no relationship with this team anymore. It’s over. Morey is and idiot. Cause he’s been holding out for another star. It’s not happening. Best he’ll do is CJ. Blazers are not trading Dame. Unless he says he wants out. Ain’t happening. Imo Kings have the best offer. Not trading him to East team. Sept 28
Like I said Forget Lillard he’s to expensive at he’s getting old. Instead look at younger options
1. Dloading, Malik Beasley and a first round pick for Ben Simmons
2. Bradley Beal and Montrez Harrell for Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, Mattise Thybulle and 3 first round picks.
3. DeAaron Fox for Ben Simmons and a first round pick
For me after the Pat Bev trade, TWolves look like an obvious suitor. Bev Ant Ben Prince and KAT that’s both good defensively and got the spacing for Ben.
Been linked to the Kings for a while and they make a lot of sense with the versatility of the trade. You could go straight Ben and a pick for Fox. With Haliburton and Heild then at the 1 and 2 and Mitchell off the bench, it makes sense. Simmons and Barnes interchangeable at 3 and 4. Could also throw in Joe or Springer as a sweetener.
Lastly Beal would be a cheaper younger alternative to Lillard. Wizards look like they could go in the direction of a rebuild, in which case Ben, Thybulle and picks would make sense.
I think Philly would want Hield involved as well somehow –
Hield Barnes and 3 firsts? It might not SEEM like a huge package but Id like those fits in Philly if ya trust Maxey w thy keys! Barnes is very underated imo
They probably want more but I wouldn’t be upset if this was the end deal . Really hard to gauge Bens REAL value
Disagree, I’d only let Ben go to the kings for Fox.
For the kings it would make sense.
They would need to keep Heild for the shooting and spacing. Barnes, I agree is undervalued he’s forward comfortable at either the 3 or 4 spot, can shot it can defend he’s great and would be a perfect fit next to Ben Simmons. Haliburton has the size, shooting and playmaking ability that would be perfect at the 1, with Mitchell coming off the bench to be a lockdown defender alongside Ben. At centre you have options with Holmes, Thompson and Bagley that could spend minutes there. With Ben running the show, maybe they make a trade for stretch 5.
You could also possibly include Danny Green for Bagley in the deal if you wanted more shooting.
However no way we let Ben Simmons go for that. I do like the picks but with Joel Embiid an MVP candidate at 27 years old and huge deals for him and Harris we need to build around winning now, not collecting picks.
Yea I agree its low but its about on par with the earlier Indy offer and might even be a better fit
Agree I wouldn’t want a pick based trade for Ben, Im just trying to think outside the box like you in case Dame isnt avail and Ben has to be traded b/c it gets a touch more toxic in the next month….. Like I say Bens value is just soo soo hard to pinpoint ….if it drops id be Ok adding good fits over long term upside or “star” I think …pends on drop and other variables but it seems movement will be needed within the next calendar year
Those deals are horrible and I’d rather keep Ben than do a single one of those.
You may think so but his value has taken a huge drop and as people have said I’d rather him come back and they just run it back and they will be better off. However Ben seems really disgruntled and wants out, he could make this ugly from his end, which would cause a stir in the locker room and etc etc which would just be another season wasted.
Your better off to take slightly less than what you think he’s worth, start fresh move on and build something good.
Really? What NBA execs have you spoken to that told you his value has taken a HUGE drop? Because numerous insiders have reported that while his value has fallen from where it was beginning of last season (centerpiece for a Harden deal) he still has good value.
Missed the lede. BEN WANTS OUT
Here’s the deal:
SAS: Simmons
UTH: Aminu & Hutch (for cap relief) + 2 SAS 2nds
PHI: Bojan + Murray + Walker + UTH 1st + SAS 1st
Why would Utah (the team with the best record last season) give up one of their best scorers in Bogi and a first round pick for two absolute scrubs and 2 second round picks?
Would literally never happen
1. It’s been reported they are shopping Ingles and the slow Bobdonabic.
2. They’re in cap hell with little relief in next 3 years. Spurs deal offers 4M saving this year and 18 next.
3. Utah is a good regular season team, but I doubt their ownership is excited to pay that group top dollar for 3 more years for meh playoff performance
Ingles expires after this year, while I doubt they re-up him (as they should) I doubt even more Utah downgrades this year to save cash
I think they are pretty much set rest of season and don’t see much money shifting in or out
They are a bonified top 4 team in their conference in another “Up in the Air” year in the NBA . They’ll pay
The owner and board made that decision to pay the tax money when they brought back Conley, resign Gobert to a huge extension and basically ever move hey have made is to be good now and not worry about the money.
Yes I have seen reports they are shopping Bogi and Ingles but they won’t be shopping them to get back next to nothing in return.
As Cap Crunch said I can’t see them making a trade they look set to make a run for next year with what they have. They had a good draft and FA and should be good.
I think it would take another team coming with a seriously good offer for them to be interested. I know it won’t happen but something like Bogi, Ingles and a pair of second rounders for Siakim. Or Bogi and Ingles for Barnes, Bagley and a second.
“slow” Bobdonabubjich is a 4 in effect. He does not have to be as fast as you think. Anyway they got Spurs’ Gay. Bogdanovic
If there was a 3 way trade between PHI/GS/PORT; I could see:
PORT gets: Wiggins, Wiseman, Maxey,T.Harris PHI ’22 1st,’26 1st and pick swaps in ’23 & ’25 and a GS 1st going to PORT.
GS gets B.Simmons,A.Simons,& PHI ’24 1st rd
PHI gets D.Lillard, R.Covington, & J.Poole
I didn’t crunch the #’s, but they should be pretty close to matching for all 3 teams.
Serious question, how can the 76ers trade Tobias Harris and what type of return do you think we could get in return