One team that appears to have officially bowed out of the race for Ben Simmons is the Sacramento Kings. Reports suggest that the Kings have decided to pull the plug on their chase for the Sixers' want-away star after refusing to meet Philadelphia's lofty asking price for Simmons.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the chances of Simmons making the move to Sacramento are now slim to none:
Source: Barring a drastic change in Philly's asking price, Ben Simmons won't be Sacramento-bound anytime soon – if ever. Separating fact from fiction on the Kings-Simmons front and detailing the status of the (non) talks, at @TheAthletic https://t.co/VqAnAB7Xqn
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) September 1, 2021
It was earlier reported that the Sixers were asking for either De'Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton in exchange for Simmons. The Kings consider these two youngsters as essential parts of their core, and it is clear that they are unwilling to part ways with either of them–not even for an established star such as Ben Simmons.
For his part, Simmons did say previously that he'd prefer a move to California. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers do not appear to be in contention to trade for the former Rookie of the Year, which left the door wide open for Sacramento. Well, not anymore. The Golden State Warriors are in California too, so could they actually make a move for the Sixers' disgruntled star?
Despite this recent development, however, Ben Simmons should still find his way out of Philly in the near future. He's already made it abundantly clear that he has no intention of remaining with the team, so it feels like it's just going to be a matter of time before the Sixers finally announce a blockbuster deal.
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