The Philadelphia 76ers are still in the process of still trying to figure out what to do with Ben Simmons and how to handle his situation. The star guard officially requested a trade in late August after a tumultuous summer that had a ton of trade rumors involving the star.
While the Sixers have maintained that they would rather have Simmons return to the team and try to repair the relationship between team and star, but he does not appear interested in doing so. While the star guard is working on his mental health and continuing to get himself right, it does not appear that Simmons is working hard to return to the Sixers any time soon.
Therefore, Philadelphia will have to try and find the right deal for the 25-year old. The team has also maintained that they will wait on what happens with Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, but Lillard has kept his loyalty to the franchise.
There is another team that could be a factor and that is the San Antonio Spurs. Per NBA veteran reporter Marc Stein, Simmons would welcome an opportunity to play for Gregg Popovich down in San Antonio:
The Spurs also know that Popovich’s presence still resonates with many players more than anything else San Antonio has to offer as a destination. Example: I’ve heard that Ben Simmons would welcome the opportunity to play for Popovich if the Spurs found a way to acquire him. San Antonio’s efforts to crash the trade hunt for Simmons have been well-chronicled, but Philadelphia remains intent on holding out for Portland’s Damian Lillard or another proven All-Star in a Simmons swap.
The Sixers have remained steadfast on their idea of holding out for a superstar player such as Lillard, but if that can’t happen, then they might have to settle for something a little less. The Spurs don’t offer much, but there is one guy in the form of Dejounte Murray who is averaging 18.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 8.4 assists with the Spurs to start the season.
Popovich has said in the past that he loves Simmons’ game despite his lack of a jump shot. There is a lot that Simmons has to offer and Popovich could be the one to get it all out of him and see his full potential. This will be an interesting situation to keep an eye on as the Sixers move forward.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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