Interesting to think about how that might impact their negotiating posture.
Morey has a reputation for driving a hard bargain, so teams like the Timberwolves were content to sit back and see just how uncomfortable Simmons was willing to make it on Morey to hold out on a deal. This communication from the Simmons camp alone likely will not be enough to force Morey’s hand, but the closer we get to training camp at the end of September, the more real this whole thing becomes.
The Timberwolves watched Jimmy Butler detonate the season with his behavior in 2017, all geared at getting himself out of Minnesota. The public nature of that situation drove the Wolves’ asking price for Butler down a remarkable degree, and they wound up having to take Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and zero (0) draft picks for him and Justin Patton. Simmons’ youth and contract length coupled with Morey’s experience in the front office, should ensure that the Sixers don’t have to take a pu-pu platter for a player who has been so important to their re-emergence in the Eastern Conference. But as training camps loom it might make it difficult for Morey to get an All-Star caliber player and a bevy of picks back for him as well.
That opens the door, even if it’s only slightly, for teams like the Timberwolves that want Simmons but may not be able to blow the Sixers’ doors off with win-now offers. And so that makes Simmons’ declaration, and the leak to make it public, a big maneuver.
https://theathletic.com/2804462/2021/09/02/ben-simmons-trade-talk-the-leverage-factor-wolves-warriors-kings-raptors-fits-and-best-case-scenario-for-sixers/
