Portland Trail Blazers turned down trade offer for Ben Simmons

The Athletic’s Shams Charania recently reported that the Portland Trail Blazers received and declined an offer from the Philadelphia 76ers for a trade revolving around Ben Simmons and CJ McCollum.

Sixers General Manager reportedly sought to receive not only McCollum in return for Simmons, but also three future first-round picks and three potential first-round pick swaps.

Blazers GM Neil Olshey wisely declined the offer, opting not to mortgage the team’s future on a bet that a Damian Lillard – Ben Simmons pairing would be enough to bring the Larry O’Brien back to Rip City.

The Portland Trail Blazers turned down a Ben Simmons trade offer from the Philadelphia 76ers

There are a few storylines that go beyond just the initial trade offer and the ensuing rejection.

This report is further confirmation that Philadelphia does not intend on trying to convince Simmons to stay with the team long-term, despite the mixed messages from Head Coach Doc Rivers.

With Daryl Morey accepting that the partnership between Simmons and the Sixers is over, his head is officially coming down from the clouds — but apparently that won’t stop him from putting out some attempts at highway robbery.

While this trade offer was obviously one-sided and incredibly unrealistic, it does show that the Sixers have interest in bringing McCollum to Philly and rightly so. CJ’s ability to score from all three levels and create for himself and others is exactly what the 76ers are lacking.

Adding an elite perimeter scorer who can also run the offense could very well bring the 76ers over the hump.

It shouldn’t take long before Philadelphia, and Morey more specifically, come to terms with the reality of their situation. They have zero leverage when it comes to Simmons, as the Australian guard and his camp have made it clear that they’re willing to sacrifice paychecks if it means getting him out of Philly.

Simmons and the Sixers have done a fantastic job of lowering his trade value this summer between the holdout and shots fired at the All-Defensive talent from his front office and teammates.

With the Sixers clearly interested in CJ McCollum, it probably won’t be long before Morey changes his tone and lowers his expectations for a trade. At what point does Neil Olshey pull the trigger?

A CJ – Simmons swap has been the most obvious move that has yet to be made this offseason. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the teams pull the trigger on a much more realistic deal — possibly CJ, one first-rounder, and one pick swap for Simmons — before the season begins.