The Sixers/Ben Simmons saga has only gotten messier since it’s started.
He’s asked to be traded, and the team has tried to trade him but wanted too much. That turned into him sitting out, which caused him to be fined, leading to him showing up but saying he wasn’t mentally prepared to play.
They accepted that but wanted more info on his treatment. He kind of gave it to them but didn’t show up to a game and didn’t travel with the team on a recent road trip, so they fined him again.
Now, the Sixers might be getting tired of all of this and may have lowered the asking price for Ben because, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, they have a list of 30 players they would take in a trade for Ben.
But here’s the part that may come as a surprise: A source with knowledge of the list said there are approximately 30 players who would satisfy the Sixers in a Simmons swap, and there’s an internal belief that a fair amount of them — let’s say five to 10 — could become available in the next year or two. And while it might sound like a long list, consider this much: It’s approximately six percent of the league and the rough equivalent to the number of All-Stars selected every season. The framing of the timeline, more than anything else, speaks volumes about the long-term approach the Sixers insist they’re taking.
“This is like a multi-year thing,” a Sixers source said.
This tells me that the Sixers are willing to be patient until the player or players they want will become available.
They will continue to hit Ben Simmons’ pockets and try to force him to play until then. The mental issue I think Simmons has is that he doesn’t want to play for the Sixers and the Philly Fans, and that is making him depressed.
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