The Portland Trail Blazers might be able to take advantage of the growingly tumultuous situation that’s brewing in the City of Brotherly Love, as the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons have come to an impasse.
Simmons has made it clear that the situation between he and the team has gone past the point of amends. The former number one overall pick is demanding a trade out of Philly and is willing to hold out — and forego paychecks — until the Sixers grant his wish.
The Sixers have already fielded offers for Ben Simmons but continue to hold a stance that they will only trade him for an all-star caliber player. They most recently turned down a deal with the Pacers that included Malcolm Brogdon and a 1st round pick.
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) July 2, 2021
The 76ers, and General Manager Daryl Morey, have expressed that the offers they’ve received so far have not convinced them to pull the trigger. But with each passing day, and if they allow this standoff to stretch into training camp next week, Simmons’s trade value should only further tank as other teams will look to bargain with Morey while his star point guard holds the team hostage. Either Morey or Simmons will have to blink sooner or later.
At what point in this Ben Simmons saga do the Portland Trail Blazers step in?
Stephen A. Smith went on record to say that the Blazers have been considering a package of CJ McCollum, Robert Covington, and multiple future picks in exchange for Ben Simmons. This seems like too generous of a package, even before the Philly-Simmons strife grew more dire.
Wow! What a mess in Philadelphia right now with the @Sixers. Seems like Ben Simmons is not playing around. So what should the @Sixers do? pic.twitter.com/36BYgasIVj
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 22, 2021
It’d be unwise of General Manager Neil Olshey to allow Daryl Morey to finesse him for his original price, especially when the Sixers GM currently holds zero leverage in this situation.
Instead, Olshey should wait and allow the sands of time to continually bury the Sixers and Morey into submission. Teams and fanbases around the league are wondering if they would want Simmons on their team at all, let alone for an All-Star level player, a top-tier glue guy, and multiple future picks.
The Sixers organization has done their best to try to rebuild Simmons’s trade value, but their actions immediately following their series loss against the Atlanta Hawks speak louder than their attempts at repair. Most recently, Sixers Head Coach Doc Rivers went on TV to express that he was misrepresented in his interview when he essentially threw his point guard under the bus and stated that he didn’t know if Simmons was a ‘championship point guard.’
At this point in time, a package of CJ McCollum and a future first-rounder or two seems more than fair for the value the Sixers have created for Ben Simmons. Some of the Portland Trail Blazers faithful wouldn’t even want to send that much to Philly.
Neil Olshey has stated that he would like to give his new starting five a second look under rookie Head Coach Chauncey Billups. There’s no sense in backing down now, especially when he could play the waiting game as Simmons’s stock plummets more and more each day.