Since requesting a trade from Philadelphia in late August, Ben Simmons has remained away from the Philadelphia 76ers to focus on his own “mental health” and has not played in an NBA game since the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season against the Atlanta Hawks.
The 76ers have been looking to move Simmons for quite a while now and it appears that interest in him across the NBA may be increasing once again. Now, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that teams are beginning to engage in trade conversations with the 76ers once again centered around Simmons.
With December 15 right around the corner, the date that most players who signed in the offseason become trade eligible, it seems like more and more teams are willing to discuss trade scenarios with the 76ers for their three-time All-Star.
According to Wojnarowski, 84% of the league’s 446 players become eligible to be traded on December 15 compared to the 65% of players that are available right now, hence why trade talks have picked up once more.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Ben Simmons Open To Playing For Spurs, Gregg Popovich
Philadelphia has been searching for ways to move Simmons since the offseason, but team President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has made it clear that the team will not just trade him away for anything.
The 76ers have asked for multiple draft picks from teams over the last few months, as well as an All-Star-level and championship quality player that can help keep the Sixers as championship contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, and others have played very well this season, but this team needs that third star-like player in order to compete against the likes of the Bucks, Nets, Heat, and others in the Eastern Conference for a chance to compete in the NBA Finals.
Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard has long been a trade target of Morey’s and the Philadelphia 76ers, but Portland does not seem willing to include him in any trade packages. The Blazers do not want to trade Lillard and he himself does not want to leave Portland, which is why Damian Lillard does not seem to be a potential talking point in trade conversations between the Blazers and 76ers anymore.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Ben Simmons Open To Playing For Spurs, Gregg Popovich
Where Ben Simmons ends up this season remains a mystery, but he is still only 25-years-old and a two-way threat in this league. Being one of the best defensive players in the league and being a capable facilitator with the ball in his hands on offense, Simmons has a chance to play again and elevate a team to playoff contention.
It does appear that something is in the works in Philadelphia, so it will be interesting to see what deals progress over the next few weeks involving Ben Simmons.
