The Philadelphia 76ers may have been holding out hope they could convince Ben Simmons to stay.
A recent report has killed that possibility.
The report came from NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic.
In a bombshell story, he revealed that several stars on the team were willing to fly out to Los Angeles to see Simmons in order to convince him to drop this trade request.
He apparently told them not to come.
Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle & Sixers players were going to fly to LA this week to meet with Ben Simmons to convince him to stay with Sixers, but Ben told them not to come because he is not changing his mind on wanting a trade, according to @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/Tnvwcw7sfa
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 25, 2021
Simmons turning down stars like Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris marks a point of no return in these discussions.
A Trade Must Happen
This is such a bizarre situation between both sides.
Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in 2016 and was viewed as a key piece in the long-term success of the 76ers.
A few years later he was being ridiculed for his lack of shooting abilities.
It has gotten so bad head coach Doc Rivers went on national television to make a plea to Simmons.
Doc Rivers on Ben Simmons informing the 76ers that he wants to be traded;
"I can tell you up front, we would love to get Ben back. And if we can, we're going to try to do that. pic.twitter.com/JeWoIE3W7U
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 22, 2021
The 76ers tried to pull out all the stops but the player is making his point clear.
The team can fine him all they want and he is still not going to show up.
A trade is the only logical move from here.
The problem now is that other teams know the 76ers are being forced to move Simmons.
There is no longer leverage on the side of the Philadelphia front office in these trade talks.
Finding A Reasonable Trade Package
Plenty of hypothetical trade proposals feature another team sending multiple first-round picks to the 76ers in exchange for Simmons.
Is that still going to happen?
Well, they aren’t going to give him away for nothing because there is also the idea that he is being forced off the court by refusing to show up.
So if the team was truly stubborn, they could refuse to trade him at all.
Teams out there may believe they are the ideal destination for the former No. 1 pick and can offer two to three first-round picks even with all of this drama.
The catch for the 76ers may be taking on an awful contract in exchange.
For example, making a trade with a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers could involve the 76ers bringing in Kevin Love, in addition to draft picks.
That type of deal may be the only way for one to get done.
This entire situation is a huge mess and Simmons not even wanting to see his teammates is a huge statement.
The grand plans for a simple and successful rebuild in Philly are out the door and they must reset with the current core that actually wants to show up this fall.
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