The Philadelphia 76ers are believed to have begun gaining traction on a possible Ben Simmons deal in the coming weeks. The date of Dec. 15 is making life a little easier for president Daryl Morey and the rest of the front office to weigh their options.
The Sixers have maintained that they have a high asking price for Simmons and they have not backed down from that at all. Philadelphia values Simmons highly as he is one of the top players in the game as an elite defender and playmaker despite his lack of a jump shot.
There are a lot of suitors who are lined up to make an offer for Simmons. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and The Stadium, there are seven teams who are interested in Simmons and the Los Angeles Lakers are one of them.
Per Charania:
The 76ers are ramping up their efforts to spark multi-team trade scenarios to move Simmons, sources said, and a fresh pool of teams has emerged as potential destinations.
The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers are among the teams interested in Simmons, sources said, although it’s unclear how much traction Philadelphia truly has on any move.
It is interesting to see the Lakers mentioned as interested teams for Simmons as they are a team that could probably use more shooting rather than playmaking, but they could help facilitate a 3-team or a 4-team deal in order to get something done.
The Sixers will have to find an end to the Simmons saga sooner rather than later. While Philadelphia would probably like to bring in a guy like Damian Lillard from the Blazers, they will most likely have to settle for something a little less. As long as they find a fit for Joel Embiid, they should be able to continue moving in the right direction.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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