The Philadelphia 76ers wrap up the preseason on Friday when they take on the Detroit Pistons on the road and Ben Simmons is still on the roster. The embattled star is still looking to force his way out of Philadelphia and the Sixers are looking to accommodate his trade request.
There have been a couple of teams that have continued to pop up in the Simmons sweepstakes. Teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Indiana Pacers have been the ones who have done the most digging on a Simmons deal.
As far as Indiana is concerned, an offer of Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert has been floated out there for Simmons and it makes sense on paper. Brogdon averaged 21.2 points and he shot 38.8% from deep in the 2020-21 season while providing solid defense out on the perimeter while LeVert battled through a small mass on his kidney to average 20.2 points and 5.2 assists in 47 games.
In a vacuum, those would be terrific additions for Philadelphia as both guys fill needs for the team around Joel Embiid. However, in a deal for a guy like Simmons? It is not the best offer they can receive.
Per Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice, the Sixers are not quite interested in those two as the offer has come more from Indiana’s end.
Neubeck writes:
Present-day, there’s still plenty of interest in Simmons around the league, from teams like the Pacers and Timberwolves who have been inquiring about him for most of the offseason. Recent reports have turned up names like Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert, for example, but sources say the names floated in those talks came primarily from Indiana’s end, with the Sixers never expressing much interest in a Pacers deal or even registering serious talks.
At this point, the Sixers are remaining patient that they can get a star for Simmons. They have been persistent in keeping an eye on the Damian Lillard situation with the Portland Trail Blazers in hopes that the superstar point guard will really force his way out of the Pacific Northwest.
While Brogdon and LeVert would be nice additions, it is hard to give up a guy like Simmons to acquire them. Neither of them is quite on the talent level of the 25-year old point guard and the Sixers need to be smart about approaching this situation and get the value they expect to receive for one of the game’s bright talents.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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