10 Teams Still Interested In Making Ben Simmons Trade

Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers, NBA Trade Rumors
NBA Analysis Network

Could we be moving closer to a conclusion in the saga between the Philadelphia 76ers and NBA All-Star Ben Simmons? There was some progress made this week, as Simmons surprised the organization and showed up to the Wells Fargo Center right before tip-off against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday evening.

Simmons and some front office personnel, including Elton Brand and Daryl Morey, were set to meet on Tuesday to further discuss plans on what to do next.

Based on NBA health and safety protocols, Simmons cannot return to activities with the team until Friday.

There has been a lot of speculation about what could be next. Is Simmons reporting only to recoup some of the money he had been losing? Or does he intend to truly return and start playing again with the team?

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Whatever is decided, trade talks around the league centered around him have not subsided. There are still 10 teams inquiring about trading for Simmons.

“Philadelphia’s most recent list of interested front offices, to varying degrees, still stands at nine known teams, sources said. In alphabetical order: Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Minnesota, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Toronto have all remained engaged with the Sixers.”

There are no real surprises there. All of those teams have been mentioned as possible landing spots since trade talks began back in early July. However, there are only nine teams listed there. The 10th team is a mystery, according to Bleacher Report.

“There is a 10th “mystery” franchise that has held substantial trade conversations with Philadelphia of late, sources told B/R, yet it remains unclear, even to members of Klutch Sports, who this purported additional suitor is. No team, however, has come near Morey and the Sixers’ firm asking price for Simmons, with simultaneous goals to further their championship contention around Embiid and remain in play to someday acquire a potentially available superstar—either from Portland or Washington or some other unexpected franchise that will eventually arise.”

Who that 10th team is, is anyone’s guess. Could it be the Brooklyn Nets, looking to swap out point guard Kyrie Irving? Maybe the Washington Wizards, who could be looking to swing for the fences and pair Simmons with Bradley Beal. The Charlotte Hornets could also make some sense given the young core they have built up the last few years.

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But, if there has been one constant in all of these trade rumors, it is that the Philadelphia 76ers asking price remains sky-high. They want to remain competitive while also adding assets to swing a bigger trade down the line in any deal for Simmons.

If they are going to trade him, that asking price will have to come down a little bit. Given the specificity of the roster construction around him to succeed, teams are not going to surrender all of their assets for him.

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