The ongoing saga surrounding Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers took yet another turn on Monday when it was reported that the Boston Celtics have engaged the Sixers on a possible Simmons deal. Philadelphia would like Jaylen Brown in return from the slow starting C’s and it makes for interesting fodder.
Brown is the type of guy the Sixers are asking for in any potential Simmons trade. President Daryl Morey has maintained that they want an All-Star talent in return for Simmons and they will not settle for anything less.
That does appear to be a problem in the Simmons sweepstakes for most teams.
The problem with Morey’s asking price is that Simmons has not played a game this season and there has been a lot of off-the-court stuff that has driven his value down a bit. The Sixers have him under contract for four seasons so there is no incentive to move him at the moment until they get the value they want for one of the game’s brightest stars.
Per Jake L. Fischer of Bleacher Report, there are some league executives who believe that Morey and the Sixers will keep Simmons on the roster even past the trade deadline. Philadelphia will wait until they get the value they want for him for the high price they are asking for.
Per Fischer:
There’s belief among rival executives and league personnel that Simmons could even remain on the Sixers roster past the trade deadline. Morey’s asking price remains higher than any rival front office has been willing to match. The weekly updates on Simmons’ status with the team and whether he’s being fined have had no impact on his trade value among rival executives.
On the flip side, the fact that there has been a phone call is a good start. Every deal starts with that and there could be some type of agreement between the Sixers and the Celtics at some point. Whether that involves Brown or not remains to be seen, but the fact that they talked is something that could lead to a deal happening in the future for Simmons.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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