It's no secret that Ben Simmons isn't exactly the most well-loved figure in the NBA right now. The Philadelphia 76ers star has struggled for virtually the entire playoffs and at this point, whispers of a trade away from the Sixers in the offseason continue to grow louder and louder.

As it turns out, however, Simmons' lackluster showing in the postseason has had an adverse effect on his trade stock. In a recent episode of ESPN's The Low Post podcast, NBA insiders Zach Lowe and Spike Eskin reveal that teams around the league have lost some interest in potentially trading for Simmons in the offseason (h/t Kevin C. Cox of Blazer's Edge):

“I have news for Philly fans, the GMs of the other teams watch the playoffs very very closely. And there are definitely teams that I have talked to in the last 48 hours who were once in on Simmons, who say, at lease to me, it could be posturing, ‘eh, we’re a little less in than we used to be.'”

This isn't at all surprising considering how Simmons has pretty much been the scapegoat for the Sixers throughout the postseason. It's funny how Simmons' decline in the playoffs makes it so easy to overlook the tremendous regular season he had for the Sixers. Folks are so quick to forget that Simmons came in second behind Rudy Gobert for this year's Defensive Player of the Year award and that this was one of the primary reasons behind Philly's first-place finish in the East.

Lowe then suggested that if the Sixers were indeed looking to offload Simmons in the summer, they might be looking for a player such as CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers as a potential target:

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“I know Sixers fans will be disappointed because even a week ago they were talking about Lillard and now we’re talking about McCollum but I think you have to to consider it.”

The Sixers won't be getting a top-tier player such as Damian Lillard in a hypothetical Ben Simmons trade. That's apparently no longer feasible at this point. As such, Philly's front office will need to consider their options with regard to Simmons as they look towards the future of the franchise.