The Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons saga doesn't appear to be any closer to a resolution as we get closer and closer to the Feb. 10 trade deadline. The Sixers are still driving a hard bargain in trade talks, while Simmons doesn't seem to have any intention of suiting up at all until he's traded.

There have been some rumblings that Philly could keep Simmons past the trade deadline if Daryl Morey fails to find a deal to his liking. If that actually happens, would Simmons actually just sit out the entire season?

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According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and also The Athletic's Sam Amick, the disgruntled Sixers star is willing to do just that. From Amick:

Make no mistake, sources close to Simmons continue to insist that he’ll sit out the entire season if a deal isn’t done by the deadline. To DA’s point, that means the postseason would be unnecessarily brutal on Embiid when it comes to the load he’s asked to carry. There is, not surprisingly, serious skepticism from Simmons’ side as to the authenticity of Embiid’s messaging.

“Joel is Daryl, and Daryl is Joel,” as one source put it.

Sixers center Joel Embiid has put forth a public message that he's fine with the roster as is and isn't pressuring Morey to make a Simmons deal. There's also reporting out there suggesting Embiid is fine with the patient approach.

The Athletic's trade roundtable with Amick, David Aldridge and John Hollinger still comes to a conclusion that a Simmons deal will wind up happening, but this is just speculation at this point. Both sides remain engaged in a staring contest, and we'll have to wait and see if either side blinks first.