With the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, could we see a resolution in the standoff between the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons? While Simmons still remains without a timetable to return, Simmons is taking the steps toward returning to the court.
In a positive development, they have also stopped fining him. The two sides are finally on the same page about how to work on improving his mental health and ailing back, the two things he stated were keeping him from returning to the court.
Simmons had racked up more than $10 million in fines, but the team is still holding out hope that when he is ready to return to the court, it will be in a 76ers uniform. While the organization is hopeful, a trade involving him still seems like the likeliest outcome.
There are numerous teams that would love to acquire the 25-year old multi-time All-Star and All-Defensive Team member. The Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers have been the three teams mentioned most prominently. The Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors were also previously mentioned.
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Simmons has said that he wouldn’t mind playing for the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich and the California teams intrigue him. But, one team you can certainly cross off the list is the Los Angeles Lakers.
While Simmons would be for a trade there, it is not going to happen. To land with the Lakers, the 76ers would have to take back Russell Westbrook and according to The Athletic, that is something Philadelphia has ‘zero’ interest in doing.
But we forget sometimes that executives are ultra-competitive in their professions as well, and it’s safe to say [Daryl] Morey has no interest in executing a bad deal because of pressure ever again. As an aside, sources say that’s also the reason the Sixers have zero interest in the prospect of swapping Simmons for Westbrook now and alleviating the Lakers’ fit concerns with their superstar trio.
Los Angeles seems to be having some buyer’s remorse about their Westbrook acquisition as meshing his skill set with LeBron James and Anthony Davis has not gone as well as the team had hoped it would.
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While Russell Westbrook’s performance isn’t as poor as some in the media would portray it as being, it is clear the Los Angeles Lakers are going to struggle to reach the heights they thought they would be capable of achieving.
Given how long things have dragged on, it would be hard to imagine either Ben Simmons or the Philadelphia 76ers changing their stance now. But, there could be a team that gets desperate enough and meets Philadelphia’s asking price of landing a significant player in return.
