Philadelphia seems to be the NBA’s hot spot for rumors with Ben Simmons‘ status up in the air. Let’s check in on that situation plus more from the City of Brotherly Love:
- There are several teams interested in Ben Simmons, though the Sixers have a high asking price and Simmons’ camp is aware of Philadelphia’s stance.
- The Cavaliers remain active in their attempts to trade for Simmons, longtime NBA journalist Marc Stein mentions in his latest newsletter. The former No. 1 overall pick is open to playing for the Cavaliers, as Evan Dammerell of Fear The Sword recently reported. It’s going to be difficult for Cleveland to put together the right kind of package to entice Philadelphia. It would likely take a third team to get involved in order to bring Simmons to town.
- The trade exception that the Sixers received in the Al Horford-Thunder deal last year expired on Tuesday. The exception was worth $8.19 million.
- The Kings are unlikely to surrender either guard De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton in potential trade packages for Simmons, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee recently relayed. It was previously reported that Fox was content in Sacramento, something that could make the franchise think twice about trading him.
- The Warriors have been linked to Simmons during the offseason but Anthony Slater of The Athletic recent explained that talks between the two sides have “never even really been alive.” Golden State is reportedly one of Simmons’ preferred destinations.
- While the Timberwolves have been persistent in their pursuit of Simmons, it doesn’t look like the team has the necessary assets to make a deal.
- There hasn’t been much noise lately on Damian Lillard, though the latest is that the Blazers continue to insist that they are building around him going forward. Portland trading the point guard any time soon seems unlikely.
