Ben Simmons – Philadelphia 76ers

At this point, this situation in Philadelphia with Ben Simmons and the 76ers has turned into one of those situations where nobody wants to talk about it anymore. Simmons and the Sixers are like that one high school couple who are constantly on-and-off-again, but you know that their relationship will never last. 

The 76ers are constantly trying new things to try and convince Ben Simmons to come back and play for them this season, but Simmons is always coming up with some kind of excuse that way he does not have to give this team the time of day. 

It is very apparent that the 3x All-Star does not want to be there anymore, and the Philadelphia 76ers probably know this, but they also know that they are losing value on Simmons with him sitting out. 

If they are to move Simmons, the 76ers are asking for an All-Star-level or championship-level player in return, something that not many teams in the league have and something that almost no team is willing to give up right now. 

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Ben Simmons is a proven All-Star and All-Defensive caliber player, but the negative attention and media attention that comes with trading for him right now just does not make sense for the other 29 teams in this league. 

Closer to the deadline, trade talk for Simmons will pick back up, but the Sixers are going to remain adamant on their stance. 

Daryl Morey and this front office seem very stern about the fact that they will wait this out as long as it takes until they either get Ben Simmons back on the floor or until they get the value they are asking for. For this reason is why a team like the Portland Trail Blazers could wind up budging and give Philly what they want. 

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Morey really wants Damian Lillard, but he may have to settle with CJ McCollum in this situation instead. Portland does not want to trade Lillard nor McCollum, but their team is not close to being a title contender in the Western Conference as it is constructed right now and they need to try and get as much All-Star talent around Damian Lillard as they possibly can.

Ben Simmons would not only make Portland a better defensive team, but he would be another high-level talent that they can pair with Lillard to possibly attract a third All-Star talent moving forward. Damian Lillard’s future remains a question mark and if the Blazers are to impress him, they need to be willing to make a big move like this. 

Verdict: Traded to Portland Trail Blazers