The NBA trade deadline is less than two weeks away and Ben Simmons still hasn’t been sent packing from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Latest reports from inside the league say that the Sacramento Kings are no longer pursuing a deal to land the troubled Philly player.
Inside of two weeks until the February 10 NBA trade deadline, the Kings believe the asking price for Simmons is too steep and that a pathway to reaching an agreement with the Sixers doesn’t exist, sources said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2022
That means that the 76ers have lost yet another chance to get rid of Simmons.
With the clock ticking, it seems more and more likely that he will be with the team until the offseason.
That means he will be on the bench for an entire season and the 76ers will remain saddled with him like an albatross around their necks.
Will the 76ers get it done and trade Simmons or is he there to stay for a few more months?
Simmons To Stay?
When Simmons first made it very clear that he would no longer play for Philadelphia, it seemed like some other team would certainly grab hold of him.
Despite his attitude and the troubles he had in the previous postseason, he is still an impressive player – especially defensively.
He averaged 14.3 points, 6.9 assists, and 7.2 rebounds a game last year – no small feat.
Ben Simmons is done trusting the process. He averaged 14.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 6.9 APG
Where will he end up next? #NBA #BenSimmons pic.twitter.com/3H7lcCmY0G
— BettorOff (@BettorOffSports) September 1, 2021
Plus, Simmons is a three-time All-Star and won Rookie of the Year as well.
He is obviously a great basketball player who, like many others, has his ups and downs.
Yet, the guard didn’t budge and that’s mostly due to Philly’s insistence on only making him part of a great trade package.
The team knows that Simmons is an All-Star and they will only accept an All-Star in his place.
So far this year, the problem has been that no suitable All-Star alternatives have made themselves available.
Philly is looking for a big player to replace Simmons.
They want someone like James Harden or Damian Lillard – they’ll accept nothing less than that.
And until they get it, they’re happy to stay put.
Better Luck Next Year?
The chances of Simmons moving before the trade deadline are diminishing by the hour.
That means that Philly might continue to retain Simmons until the season wraps up and that might just be for the best.
Once the Finals are over, many teams will be reassessing their next moves and how they should shake things up.
Therefore, there is a good chance that some team who holds the keys to an All-Star will once again size up Simmons and his value.
Finding a suitable team to take on Simmons in the heat of the season is tricky, as so many contenders don’t want to mix things up too much and jeopardize what they have going for them.
But when the year is done and there are no more games to play, you can bet that Simmons will be more attractive throughout the league.
Then perhaps the 76ers will be able to get that All-Star they want in exchange for him.
However, right now it seems that a Simmons trade is becoming less and less likely.
Now that the Kings have pulled out, the 76ers are back to square one with their plans to deal away Simmons.
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