The Philadelphia 76ers and NBA All-Star Ben Simmons had a meeting recently, but no ground was gained. Simmons remains no closer to returning to the court to play for the 76ers. While Philadelphia holds out hope that will change, their stance remains the same in terms of what they are expecting in return for Simmons in a trade.
With less than a month until the 2022 NBA trade deadline, time is running out for the 76ers to find a deal centered around Simmons. They are adamant about getting an impact player in return but have also been open to discussing other packages.
It was recently reported that the 76ers were looking to attach Tobias Harris to any package that included Ben Simmons. There aren’t many teams willing or even able to take on nearly $80 million in salary that Simmons and Harris will be making.
But, if they push to clear some salary by including Harris, it could help them facilitate a deal. They would prioritize their cap sheet over the talent coming back, which could get more teams involved in trade negotiations.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest NBA Trade Rumors Surrounding Hawks’ Ben Simmons Pursuit
Drumming up a market is what the Philadelphia 76ers are looking to do. While things are seemingly quiet right now, NBA insiders expect a deal to be made ahead of the deadline.
Sam Amick of The Athletic recently made an appearance on the Gastro Blues pod and broke down some of the rumors involving the 76ers. Ben Simmons was discussed and the feeling around the league is that a deal will get done in the coming weeks.
“To the question of, ‘Is a [Simmons] deal gonna go down before the deadline,’ for whatever reason, the mood among every team I’ve talked to is probably ‘yes.’ That something will probably happen before the deadline.”
One team to keep an eye on is the Sacramento Kings. They have been long linked to Simmons and given their desperation to make the postseason, could be open to taking on Harris as well if it means landing their main target.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest NBA Trade Rumors Surrounding Hawks’ Ben Simmons Pursuit
The Atlanta Hawks have also emerged as a suitor for Simmons. After advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, their season is spiraling out of control as they are four games out of a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers are two more teams that have been linked to Ben Simmons previously, while he has said that he wouldn’t mind playing for Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.
