The Philadelphia 76ers kicked off their regular season schedule this week, but the biggest topic of conversation around the team is still the Ben Simmons saga. Following his removal from practice Tuesday, Simmons is now dealing with back soreness, and reports emerged that he is not mentally ready to join the team on the court anytime soon.
Many speculated that Simmons might actually take the floor when he spontaneously rejoined the team in the preseason, but the writing is on the wall. His primary focus remains on being traded to a new team.
Despite all of Simmons' childish antics dating back to the offseason, Daryl Morey has remained patient. He is open to trading the three-time All-Star, but only in a deal that improves the Sixers' chances of competing for an NBA championship. Morey refuses to move on from Simmons simply to appease the needs of an unhappy player.
The Sixers President of Basketball Operations recently gave his thoughts on the matter in an interview with 97.5 The Fanatic.
“To give ourselves the best chance to win the title, you need difference-makers. You don't need role players. Right now, any sort of trade, which obviously Ben Simmons wants, the best thing we can do is get role players back. That makes no sense. That will give us no better chance to win the title if we were to move Ben Simmons for role players,” said Daryl Morey on Thursday.
Some may not like it or agree with it, but Morey remaining patient is undoubtedly the correct approach in this situation. The Sixers are a team that feels their window of contention is open now. Bringing in a batch of role players in exchange for Simmons gets them no closer to competing with the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets.
Joel Embiid is in the prime of his career right now, and the Sixers need to strike while the iron is hot. Whatever package they acquire for Simmons has to include a high-level player that complements Embiid and can aid him in leading the Sixers deep into the postseason.
With how things have unfolded, many have questioned if this cloud over the team's head has become a distraction. Based on Morey's perspective that is not the case. He feels the group continues to conduct themselves professionally, even with all the outside noise.
“For our players and coaches, this is not tough,” Daryl Morey said. They come in. They're professional. They go out. They win yesterday. For them, they're united. They're in a great place,”
As long as the team can continue to not let the Simmons saga affect them off the court, Morey should remain in no rush to get a deal done. For all the attention this standoff has gotten over the past few months, the Sixers deserve a ton of credit for being able to go about everyday business as usual.
The Sixers have more than enough talent to be a very good team in the regular season. Daryl Morey needs to remain patient on the trade front and wait for the right player to become available who can take the team to the next level.
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