Ben Simmons is still a member of the Philadelphia 76ers despite popping up in trade rumors for weeks. Ever since the Philadelphia 76ers were bounced in the second round of the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks, Simmons’ future with the franchise has been in doubt, in large part because of his visible struggles during that series.
But despite this, he’s still with the Sixers, with a new report by Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice adding some context as to why. Apparently, the various offers that have popped up in reports don’t really interest the front office, which is not interested in turning Simmons into flotsam.
Internally, team sources view a lot of the reported offers floated around the league as transparent attempts to lower Simmons’ trade value below where it actually is. The Sixers are uninterested in packages returning multiple role players and picks in exchange for Simmons, according to a source familiar with the situation.
While it did seem like there was pessimism about what Simmons could fetch in the general basketball discourse at the end of the postseason, he’s still a 25-year-old All-Star selection who is about to enter year two of a five-year contract extension. For whatever flaws he has, players like this do not pop up on the trade market all that frequently, and Philly seems content to hold firm instead of take the best of a handful of less-than-stellar trades.
