It has been 193 days since the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season, yet Ben Simmons is still technically considered a member of the 76ers and the key storyline in the NBA right now
Where will Simmons end up being traded? Will the 76ers even trade Ben Simmons this season? Why have they waited so long to trade the three-time All-Star?
These are all questions that get thrown our way every single day and the simple answer is no answer! Nobody can seem to answer any of these questions right now, as Daryl Morey, Elton Brand and the Sixers’ front-office hold all the leverage in trade negotiations revolving around Ben Simmons.
They would absolutely like to trade him before the trade deadline this season, but Philadelphia has made it very clear that they are not going to be giving him up for just anything. They have been holding out for months now in hopes that they can land an All-Star-level talent or a handful of key talents that can help them get to the NBA Finals.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Why Cavaliers Should Push for Ben Simmons Trade
With very limited All-Stars being made available right now in trade talks though, the Sixers could be putting themselves in a very tight space as a franchise. Simmons is not coming back to play this season and without him on the floor, the 76ers have gone just 18-16 and are a borderline playoff team right now.
Ben Simmons is surely not the savior of this franchise and there is no telling if they would be the 1-seed in the East right now with him playing, but they would undoubtedly be better, which is why this team desperately needs to find a way to move Simmons at the trade deadline this season for some key, valuable players on the perimeter and wing.
Various teams like the Cavaliers, Pacers and Kings have shown a ton of interest in trading for Ben Simmons, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, but one team to still keep an eye on is the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Currently 16-18 and very much in the playoff picture in the Western Conference, the Timberwolves look like they can be a very special team should they add one more high-level talent.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Why Cavaliers Should Push for Ben Simmons Trade
D’Angelo Russell, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards have looked like one of the best scoring trios in the league when healthy, but they need someone else that can make a difference on both ends of the court.
While his struggles on offense are very well documented, Ben Simmons has been a pretty consistent two-way player his entire young career.
In 275 career regular season games, Simmons has averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.7 steals and has shot 56% from the floor.
Being a three-time All-Star, two-time All-Defensive player and only 25-years-old, adding Ben Simmons to this Timberwolves roster with three other All-Star-like players could immediately make Minnesota a real threat in the Western Conference.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Why Cavaliers Should Push for Ben Simmons Trade
Any trade involving Ben Simmons at this point in the season will not be easy and it will take a lot of assets, but let’s take a look at a blockbuster four-team trade between the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings that might just be crazy enough to work.
