It's clear that the Philadelphia 76ers have a ton of confidence in Ben Simmons. In valuing what he brings to the table, they decided not to cave and give the Houston Rockets whatever they wanted in exchange for James Harden.
But just days prior to the trade, both the Sixers and the Rockets were apparently in a serious conversation to swap superstars amid the frantic Harden trade talks that finally ended with the former MVP heading to the Brooklyn Nets to form a massive three with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Sixers were prepared to ship off Simmons and Matisse Thybulle as well as future picks in exchange for the three-time scoring champ, but the Rockets reportedly wanted more. Philly GM Daryl Morey wouldn't go as far as including Tyrese Maxey in the deal which eventually blew the whole thing up. After all that drama, Simmons is still a Sixer and the process continues in the City of Brotherly Love.
Passing on Harden and sticking with their current guns might look like the wrong move to some. But if you take everything into consideration, Morey's decision to stick with Simmons and Joel Embiid certainly makes more sense in terms of long-term success. Obviously, putting Harden alongside Embiid would immediately propel the Sixers to new heights but with the way Harden has acted these past few months, you don't really know what you're getting with the 31-year-old.
Yes, the current tandem between Simmons and Embiid hasn't been perfect. This is the main reason why the Sixers found themselves shopping around for a potential trade to beef up their line-up. But, these two are young superstars in the league, and playing together and getting reps in should only make them and the Sixers better as the years go by. Simmons (24) and Embiid (26) have only played three full seasons together and they were able to make the playoffs in all those three seasons. They were able to make the playoffs immediately in Simmons' first ever playing year, which only increased the expectations laid on the team when they were barely scratching the surface of their talents. With Daryl Morey now running things for Philly, and making moves like signing breakout performer Seth Curry, veteran guard Danny Green, and shipping out the ill-fitted Al Horford, there's a chance we'll see a maximized Embiid-Simmons tandem for the first time ever. If these two continue to progress, which they've shown so far in their respective careers, the sky is really the limit for them in Philadelphia.
For Simmons, it's time to repay the franchise for their trust in what he can do. As poor as his shooting is, the two-time All-Star has developed into one of the more well-rounded talents in the league. His length and athleticism have been troublesome for opponents, especially on defense. Last season, Simmons found himself leading the league in steals (2.1 per game) while adding 16.4 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, and a career-high of 8.0 assists.
The Sixers' latest move of keeping Simmons might not result in a ring this season. Maybe even not next season. But if Morey and head coach Doc Rivers continue to build and develop their young core, and add a few more key pieces along the way, they should be legitimate championship contenders sooner rather than later. They already have been in previous seasons and if everyone can stay healthy and locked in, they should be in the conversation again this season. So far so good for these Sixers as their 9-4 standing 11 games in puts them at the top of the East. Hopefully, they can set aside all this off-court hoopla and focus on what they have to do which is keep winning basketball games.
The process continues for Philadelphia and everyone just has to trust it.
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