The 2020-21 NBA season is still far from over, but rumors have already started to swirl around All-Star point guard Ben Simmons and his future with the Philadelphia 76ers. With his dismal performance on the offensive end of the floor, Simmons took most of the blame for the Sixers’ inability to advance in the Eastern Conference Finals this year.
After being publicly criticized by some members of his team, most people believe that Simmons and the Sixers are heading into an inevitable divorce in the 2021 offseason.
Ben Simmons’ Agent, Rich Paul, Makes His Move
To address the controversy surrounding his client, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN revealed that Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, decided to meet with the Sixers’ management.
“Discussions on Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons’ future with the franchise started in Chicago this week and included Simmons’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, and Sixers management, sources told ESPN. Paul met with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand at the pre-draft combine to begin evaluating the next steps in Simmons’ Sixers career, sources said.”
Rich Paul Talks About Potential Trades With Sixers
One of the main agendas of the recent meeting between Paul and the Sixers’ management is whether it makes sense for both camps to immediately explore potential trades. The discussion ended without a trade request from Simmons’ camp. However, they are expected to continue talking about Simmons’ future ahead of the July 29 NBA Draft and in the upcoming free agency in August.
Despite blaming him for their second-round exit, Wojnarowski revealed that the Sixers still considered Simmons as a “central piece of their franchise.”
Sixers Remain Reluctant To Break Joel Embiid-Ben Simmons Duo
Wojnarowski noted in his article that several teams have been using the Chicago pre-draft camp to gauge the Sixers’ interest in trade packages for Simmons. However, as of now, the Sixers remain “reluctant” with the idea of breaking their young superstar duo of Simmons and Joel Embiid.
The Sixers must be aware that if they start engaging in trade talks for Simmons now, potential trade partners would try to lowball him due to his dismal performance in the playoffs where he averaged 11.9 points on 62.1 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from the free-throw line, per ESPN. Instead of trading him immediately, the Sixers would try all possibilities to address the major flaws in Simmons’ game.
Potential Suitors Of Ben Simmons On The Trade Market
Since the Sixers got eliminated in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, several teams have already started monitoring Simmons’ situation in the City of Brotherly love. Despite his poor perimeter shooting, Simmons remains a solid two-way contributor in the league and would be a great addition to teams that are in dire need of a backcourt boost and additional star power on their roster.
According to Michael Gatti of NBC Sports, some of the potential suitors of Simmons this summer include Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Houston Rockets.
