Ben Simmons has yet to play this 2021-22 NBA season, and it's becoming more and more apparent that he's never going to suit up for the Philadelphia 76ers ever again. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey is staring at the possibility of dangling Simmons in a potential massive swap with the Brooklyn Nets that would land Philadelphia superstar guard James Harden — in the offseason.

But multiple sources, including people with direct knowledge of the team’s thinking and also from rival teams involved on the Simmons front, tell The Athletic that the 76ers are believed to prefer to wait in order to pursue Harden or another superstar in the offseason and thus want to save Simmons for that potential sign-and-trade rather than take what’s available on the current market.

There's still the trade deadline coming up in February, which could see Simmons getting shipped by the Sixers to another franchise. However, as Charania notes, Philadelphia will have to get a much better offer from what it currently is getting in order for the Sixers to let go of Simmons.

Unless Philadelphia is blown away at the deadline by a team that significantly improves its current best offer, in other words, the standstill between Simmons and the Sixers will continue past the deadline.

Harden has just a contract that matches well with that of Simmons' deal, though, the Nets star is set to become a free agent by the end of the 2022-23 NBA season. As for Simmons, his current contract will expire in 2025.