As the February 10 deadline is fast approaching, a question is burning the lips in the NBA: will Ben Simmons be transferred in the coming weeks? Offers keep coming to the Sixers‘ desk, like one from an Eastern team… which was turned down.
In the file Ben Simmons, there is what is clear, and what is much less so. What is clear is that the Australian will never play a game in a Philadelphia jersey again. We also know, via Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, that he is ready to make a white season if necessary, and that for their part, the Sixers are also ready to wait until this summer if they do not. not have the desired package.
But just what is this desired package? Several weeks ago, we learned that General Manager Daryl Morey had concocted a list of twenty players in exchange for whom he would be ready to let go of his fallen All-Star. But for the moment, it is impossible to do business on one of these files, and the offers received continue to disappoint the Philly front office…
Big offer to 3 players from the East for Simmons, refused by the Sixers
For example, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tells us that Detroit recently tried its luck with a beefy package… in vain:
The situation in Philadelphia basically hasn’t changed since July: Daryl Morey has so far turned down any offer for Simmons that doesn’t include an All-Star-caliber player to partner with Joel Embiid.
So the Pistons’ offer to trade Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Kelly Olynyk and a first-round draft pick didn’t generate much excitement among the Philadelphia oils, sources say.
One of the most targeted players on the market and borderline All-Star, Grant, paired with promising Saddiq Bey and veteran Olynyk as well as a pick, didn’t even give Daryl Morey a second’s second thought. This shows the magnitude of the supply expected on the side of Pennsylvania.
Because if the Sixers hope for more in exchange for Simmons, the Pistons winger is arousing great interest in the market. Fischer continues:
The Lakers, Blazers, Knicks, Jazz, Wizards, Celtics, Pacers, Wolves and Kings have all signaled interest in the 27-year-old. The excitement comes a year after Pistons GM Troy Weaver declined any request for Grant following his surprise signing from Detroit through free agency. According to sources, Detroit is now asking for two first-round draft picks, or else a first-round pick and a young high-potential player.
Despite an attractive package around a Jerami Grant that is turning heads in the market, the Sixers have sent yet another refusal concerning Ben Simmons. At this pace, the Australian could wait for the summer to find out his new destination…
