We are now heading towards the year 2022 and Ben Simmons is still a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. All offseason long, the main trade discussions were centered around Simmons and the Sixers, yet here we are 26-28 games into the 2021-22 NBA season still talking about this nonsense!
The 3-time All-Star has not played since the 76ers lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks and has not been doing anything with Philadelphia, citing “mental health” as the reason for him not being ready to play.
Every single day, the 76ers continue to search for ways to set their organization up for the most success and now with the trade deadline less than two months away, it appears that trade talks centered around Simmons are beginning to gain steam again.
Obviously with a ton of players becoming trade eligible on Dec. 15, trade rumors will begin to circulate, but still, the 76ers have remained adamant on the fact that they want an All-Star-level player, as well as draft picks, in return for Ben Simmons.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: These Teams Are Interested In Ben Simmons Trade As Talks Heat Up
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Philadelphia 76ers are “ramping up their efforts” in trade talks centered around Simmons and there are a handful of teams interested in him. Charania mentioned the Lakers, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Kings, Pacers, Cavaliers and interestingly the Knicks as teams inquiring about him.
Currently 12-15 on the season, the New York Knicks have really struggled this season and their identity on defense seems to be lost. New York ranked 3rd in the league in defensive rating a season ago, propelling them to the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference.
So far this season, the Knicks rank just 24th in the league in defensive rating and are giving up about 107.4 points per game to their opponents (17th in the league), which is way up compared to the 104.7 points per game (1st in the league) that they gave up last season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: These Teams Are Interested In Ben Simmons Trade As Talks Heat Up
Given that the Knicks and 76ers are in the Atlantic Division and in the Eastern Conference together, it is hard to believe that they would pull off a blockbuster trade involving Ben Simmons, but New York needs to better themselves defensively and Simmons is a Defensive Player of the Year caliber talent.
Could the Knicks be the team to pull off a shocking trade for Ben Simmons this season? Let’s take a look at one offer New York may send to Philadelphia.
