In the words of the great Michael Scott: “It's finally happening.” That kind of sums up the rumor dropped by Shams Charania of The Athletic, who notes that the Philadelphia 76ers are finally shopping around Sixers point guard Ben Simmons.
The 76ers have opened up trade conversations surrounding Simmons and have engaged with teams, sources told The Athletic. Those sources also say that teams that have engaged with the 76ers about Simmons have been met with a high price threshold for the three-time All-Star.
“(The 76ers) want an All-Star-caliber player in return,” one source with knowledge of the ongoing talks said.
This comes after weeks of speculations that Simmons is going to be one of the most interesting items on the trade market in the offseason following an abysmal performance in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Simmons disappointed Sixers fans with his atrocious play, particularly on offense during the second round of the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, a team many expected Philly would take care of with not much hassle. Instead, Trae Young and the Hawks humbled the Sixers and magnified the shortcomings of Simmons who put up just 9.9 points and shot 33.3% from the free throw line across seven games in the series.
Ben Simmons is not a lost case, but the Sixers have a fair reason to move on from him, as he appears someone whose career could use a new backdrop.
Simmons' current contract will run until the end of the 2024-25 NBA season after signing a five-year deal worth $177.2 million in July 2019.
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