76ers back to fining Ben Simmons

[John Murdoch]

At this point I cannot see anyone offering anything of substance for Simmons.

Why not? Its Morey thats holding out for a kings randsome

[Nate505]

At this point I cannot see anyone offering anything of substance for Simmons.

Same.

I guess this question can be framed in a different way. If you were the GM of your team, who would you trade for Simmons? I'll try to be generous here from Jazz standpoint and say I'd trade anyone but Gobert or Mitchell for him (personally I wouldn't trade anyone for such an unprofessional clown who is totally willing to not play if he's not completely content, but whatever, say those issues didn't exist). That said, if you're the Sixers and get your pick of, say, two of Conley/Bogie/Ingles/Rocye ONeale/Clarkson....my guess is you won't be very happy with the return.

[Nuntius]

But there hasn't been a serious offer. What in the hell are they supposed to do? They can't trade Simmons for crap and that's been the offers so far. This team is title or bust. Making the finals doesn't matter to this organization. They'd be better off completely blowing it all up and trading Embiid than taking the deals being offered so far. They absolutely have to wait this out and if it takes 2 years it takes 2 years.

And there won't be any serious offer unless Morey lowers his asking price. You cannot ask for 6+ picks and a good player for Ben Simmons and expect other GMs to take you seriously. It takes two GMs to make a deal and for that to happen you need to be operating in good faith. Morey is taking a place out of Ainge's playbook and asking for the moon. It won't work like that.

Morey wants an allstar, he doesn't want a good player. Nobody has offered him an allstar level guy so he's asked to be compensated for that. This is trading 101. If you don't get what you need you'd ask for extras to assure you make up the gap, and in this case you'd need 400x value in terms of a picks to take a lesser player. Other GM's know this. They've been trying to low ball the 76ers like they should do because that's how most star deals happen. But unlike any trade in NBA history, this is a young star under a LONG term deal. So ben is literally the most valuable player in nba history who's up for trade like this.

The issue here is that not everyone sees Ben as a star right now. A good part of it is his performance in the last playoffs but even if you were to ignore that, he has a lot of holes in his game. Ben is a star-level defender (although, I'd say that the fact that he isn't a rim protector limits him a bit there) but offensively he isn't a star. His playmaking ability is great but it is hampered by his inability to take perimeter shots and pressure the opposing team with his scoring. He requires a pretty specific setup to get the most out of him and my guess is that a lot of teams are wondering right now whether it is worth it to build their team around him.

I understand your argument but Ben simply doesn't have the value that Morey is asking for at the moment. He isn't worth a top 30-50 player. He is worth an one-time All-Star, not a perennial All-Star. That means that you cannot go around and ask for 6+ picks and a good player. It is unreasonable. A borderline All-Star and 1 pick is the most that you can ask for right now.

So, no, I don't believe that teams are low balling the Sixers. I believe that Morey is asking for way too much for a player that, currently at least, doesn't have that kind of value. I think that Morey regrets not trading Simmons last year when his value was significantly higher and is now compounding that mistake by not accepting that his value has plummeted. Fact is, that value isn't going to rise unless Simmons plays and he isn't going to play for the Sixers ever again.

[wegotthabeet]

At this point I cannot see anyone offering anything of substance for Simmons.

Same.

I guess this question can be framed in a different way. If you were the GM of your team, who would you trade for Simmons? I'll try to be generous here from Jazz standpoint and say I'd trade anyone but Gobert or Mitchell for him (personally I wouldn't trade anyone for such an unprofessional clown who is totally willing to not play if he's not completely content, but whatever, say those issues didn't exist). That said, if you're the Sixers and get your pick of, say, two of Conley/Bogie/Ingles/Rocye ONeale/Clarkson....my guess is you won't be very happy with the return.

I disagree. This is Morey, he knows what he's doing. I foresee something like this happening close to the deadline. A three team deal where multiple picks go to a team ready to rebuild, a second tier star goes to Philadelphia, a third team with an excess of picks rolls the dice on Simmons without giving up anything off their roster.

Philadelphia gets: Beal & Harrell
OKC gets: Simmons
Washington gets: Niang, Drummond, PHI FRP 2022, 2024, 2026 (from OKC), 2028, WSH own protected FRP back (from OKC), 2023 MIA FRP (from OKC), HOU 2024 FRP (from OKC).

[Larry_Russell]

At this point I cannot see anyone offering anything of substance for Simmons.

Why not? Its Morey thats holding out for a kings randsome

Yes, but how much value is he truly carrying right now

Max paid
might have some bad mental issues
not know as a player who is wanting to expand his game
known as hard to get along with (apparently)

[Larry_Russell]

At this point I cannot see anyone offering anything of substance for Simmons.

Same.

I guess this question can be framed in a different way. If you were the GM of your team, who would you trade for Simmons? I'll try to be generous here from Jazz standpoint and say I'd trade anyone but Gobert or Mitchell for him (personally I wouldn't trade anyone for such an unprofessional clown who is totally willing to not play if he's not completely content, but whatever, say those issues didn't exist). That said, if you're the Sixers and get your pick of, say, two of Conley/Bogie/Ingles/Rocye ONeale/Clarkson....my guess is you won't be very happy with the return.

Exactly.

When on the court Ben carries solid as hell value, only real complaint, on court, is that he doesnt appear to want to learn how to shoot.

Off the court is where his value dives.

[Nuntius]

I mean if ben starts shooting he'll have zero value..the man can't shoot even a little. He should NEVERRRRRRR attempt a jumper in a game.

I couldn't disagree more. Take Giannis is an example. He is a pretty bad shooter. Shooting has always been his biggest weakness and I don't think that he will ever become a good shooter. But he still takes perimeter shots when the situation demands it and that's a good thing. The fact that Giannis is willing to take perimeter shots means that you cannot give him 10-15 feet of space like you can with Simmons. Because if you do, he can punish you. And even if he doesn't punish you with 3s, he can take a step inside and shoot a mid-range jumper or find a way to Eurostep his way to the basket if you give him enough room to get a head of steam. So, you have to play Giannis a bit closer and that just opens up his drives. It's why Giannis has always been able to give you 25+ PPG, even in the playoffs. No, he will never be a good shooter but his willingness to at least take that shot when the defense gives it frees up his offensive game and makes him much more dangerous. People still close out at Giannis. No one's closing out at Simmons.

A star-level offensive player just has to be able to at least take some outside shots. He has to have some kind of range. It doesn't even need to be a 3. A 15 footer can do the trick as well. Heck, even Centers have to be able to take those shots currently and Ben is often the primary ball-handler which makes it that much more crucial for him. How can you run a pick and roll when you know that the ballhandler will never, ever raise up for a shot if you drop too much? You just can't.

[Larry_Russell]

Real question.

Morey saying he wants a top 30 player for Simmons,

At his salary, mental status, play on the court.... is he a top 30 player?

Curry
Lebron
Doncic
Giannis
Jokic
Harden
Durant
Embiid
Khawi
Davis
Lillard
Tatum
George
Butler
Irving
Trae
Paul
Donnovan
Beal
Booker
KAT
Lavine
Demar
Brown
Siakam
Zion
Klay
Sabonis
Ja
SGA
Gobert
Middleton
Bam
Sabonis
Lamello
FVV
Dejounte Murray
Jamal Murray
Ingram
ANT
Scottie Barnes


How many of those players can you state with certainty that Ben is better than?

[dhsilv2]

And there won't be any serious offer unless Morey lowers his asking price. You cannot ask for 6+ picks and a good player for Ben Simmons and expect other GMs to take you seriously. It takes two GMs to make a deal and for that to happen you need to be operating in good faith. Morey is taking a place out of Ainge's playbook and asking for the moon. It won't work like that.

Morey wants an allstar, he doesn't want a good player. Nobody has offered him an allstar level guy so he's asked to be compensated for that. This is trading 101. If you don't get what you need you'd ask for extras to assure you make up the gap, and in this case you'd need 400x value in terms of a picks to take a lesser player. Other GM's know this. They've been trying to low ball the 76ers like they should do because that's how most star deals happen. But unlike any trade in NBA history, this is a young star under a LONG term deal. So ben is literally the most valuable player in nba history who's up for trade like this.

The issue here is that not everyone sees Ben as a star right now. A good part of it is his performance in the last playoffs but even if you were to ignore that, he has a lot of holes in his game. Ben is a star-level defender (although, I'd say that the fact that he isn't a rim protector limits him a bit there) but offensively he isn't a star. His playmaking ability is great but it is hampered by his inability to take perimeter shots and pressure the opposing team with his scoring. He requires a pretty specific setup to get the most out of him and my guess is that a lot of teams are wondering right now whether it is worth it to build their team around him.

I understand your argument but Ben simply doesn't have the value that Morey is asking for at the moment. He isn't worth a top 30-50 player. He is worth an one-time All-Star, not a perennial All-Star. That means that you cannot go around and ask for 6+ picks and a good player. It is unreasonable. A borderline All-Star and 1 pick is the most that you can ask for right now.

So, no, I don't believe that teams are low balling the Sixers. I believe that Morey is asking for way too much for a player that, currently at least, doesn't have that kind of value. I think that Morey regrets not trading Simmons last year when his value was significantly higher and is now compounding that mistake by not accepting that his value has plummeted. Fact is, that value isn't going to rise unless Simmons plays and he isn't going to play for the Sixers ever again.

I know fans are media have been down on Ben, but I highly doubt GM's have changed their valuation on him by much if any. They get paid to NOT overreact.

Now to the bigger point, Philly isn't going to find a team that wants to trade their guy for Ben unless they feel Ben's a pretty good upgrade. But if someone asks out, then Ben becomes a MUCH more reasonable take. That's the game plan and no player has become available yet.

So meanwhile if a team wants ben and doesn't have a star...philly needs to get a stupid package of picks so they're ready to try and land that disgruntled star when he becomes available. And likely this means there won't be this type of deal. But that's what philly has to get to trade ben. A star or a package that's almost insane in terms of picks.

And thus we're here waiting because that's where we are. And it might be a year....philly seems good with this. Doesn't make sense to me that fans don't get that.

[dhsilv2]

I mean if ben starts shooting he'll have zero value..the man can't shoot even a little. He should NEVERRRRRRR attempt a jumper in a game.

I couldn't disagree more. Take Giannis is an example. He is a pretty bad shooter. Shooting has always been his biggest weakness and I don't think that he will ever become a good shooter. But he still takes perimeter shots when the situation demands it and that's a good thing. The fact that Giannis is willing to take perimeter shots means that you cannot give him 10-15 feet of space like you can with Simmons. Because if you do, he can punish you. And even if he doesn't punish you with 3s, he can take a step inside and shoot a mid-range jumper or find a way to Eurostep his way to the basket if you give him enough room to get a head of steam. So, you have to play Giannis a bit closer and that just opens up his drives. It's why Giannis has always been able to give you 25+ PPG, even in the playoffs. No, he will never be a good shooter but his willingness to at least take that shot when the defense gives it frees up his offensive game and makes him much more dangerous. People still close out at Giannis. No one's closing out at Simmons.

A star-level offensive player just has to be able to at least take some outside shots. He has to have some kind of range. It doesn't even need to be a 3. A 15 footer can do the trick as well. Heck, even Centers have to be able to take those shots currently and Ben is often the primary ball-handler which makes it that much more crucial for him. How can you run a pick and roll when you know that the ballhandler will never, ever raise up for a shot if you drop too much? You just can't.

If ben were half the shooter Giannis is I'd agree, but Giannis is closer to Curry than Ben to Giannis right now.

[NZB2323]

Green averaged 7ppg last year and averages 8.3 ppg for his career

Simmons is LIGHT YEARS above Draymond in every aspect of basketball

This is getting ridiculous

Green doesn’t pass up open dunks in the playoffs because he’s afraid of getting fouled. Green doesn’t refuse to play because he got criticized. Green has won DPOTY. Green has won 73 games. Green has won 3 championships.

What has Simmons ever achieved other than stats in the regular season and making it to the 2nd round?

Simmons is significantly better than Draymond

Hard to believe that this even a thing

The only reason why Draymond has sniffed the playoffs is because he plays with Steph, Klay and KD

8ppg!!!!

Simmons has been mvp in 2 playoff series

He’s levels above Draymond and I really like Green

The Warriors are 23-5 with no KD and no Klay.

And if you're so focused on points per game, Ben Simmons averaged 9.9 ppg in his last playoff series and Draymond averaged 12.5 ppg in his last playoff series. If Ben Simmons is afraid to shoot free throws, afraid to shoot 3, and afraid to attack the rim because he doesn't want to get fouled and have to shoot free throws, how many points can he really score in a playoff series? He passed up a dunk and now is afraid to play for a team that criticized him.

Draymond is never afraid. At least with him I know he'll bring it on both ends of the floor and won't back down to anyone.

[NZB2323]

Morey wants an allstar, he doesn't want a good player. Nobody has offered him an allstar level guy so he's asked to be compensated for that. This is trading 101. If you don't get what you need you'd ask for extras to assure you make up the gap, and in this case you'd need 400x value in terms of a picks to take a lesser player. Other GM's know this. They've been trying to low ball the 76ers like they should do because that's how most star deals happen. But unlike any trade in NBA history, this is a young star under a LONG term deal. So ben is literally the most valuable player in nba history who's up for trade like this.

A player who is afraid to shoot free throws and refuses to play because of criticism/boos is not the most valuable player who is up for a trade.

That’s why Morey isn’t finding a deal. No one wants to trade a top 30 player for Simmons. No GM, no fan, no coach, ect. I’m a Bulls fan and I have absolutely 0 interest in trading for Ben Simmons. We already have the GOAT in Alex Caruso.

That’s why Kyrie Irving for Ben Simmons makes the most sense.

There's currently no player available worth trading for Ben. So there won't be a trade made. That seems pretty simple to me. I don't understand why others can't get this. You're right no team is going to trade a HAPPY star for Ben. And philly doesn't expect that. But a star is going to demand a trade and then that happens, Ben suddenly looks really good. Give it a year man.

The longer this goes on, the less trade value Simmons has. Morey says he has 4 years. If 3 years go by and Simmons hasn't played an NBA game, do you really want to trade for him? Also, if a star demands a trade is Simmons really the best package from across the league?

[Pointgod]

A player who is afraid to shoot free throws and refuses to play because of criticism/boos is not the most valuable player who is up for a trade.

That’s why Morey isn’t finding a deal. No one wants to trade a top 30 player for Simmons. No GM, no fan, no coach, ect. I’m a Bulls fan and I have absolutely 0 interest in trading for Ben Simmons. We already have the GOAT in Alex Caruso.

That’s why Kyrie Irving for Ben Simmons makes the most sense.

There's currently no player available worth trading for Ben. So there won't be a trade made. That seems pretty simple to me. I don't understand why others can't get this. You're right no team is going to trade a HAPPY star for Ben. And philly doesn't expect that. But a star is going to demand a trade and then that happens, Ben suddenly looks really good. Give it a year man.

The longer this goes on, the less trade value Simmons has. Morey says he has 4 years. If 3 years go by and Simmons hasn't played an NBA game, do you really want to trade for him? Also, if a star demands a trade is Simmons really the best package from across the league?

If Simmons is still on the roster past the trade deadline Morey should be fired. There’s zero question about that.

[Fencer reregistered]

Brown/Smart

Simmons/Curry

Everybody happy

Assuming you mean Seth Curry, that's pretty horrible for Boston.

Why?

Brown to Simmons is a downgrade in if-available talent.

Simmons' availability seems a lot riskier than Brown's.

Brown and Smart occasionally cause team problems for caring too much about winning. Simmons ... well, you know.

Smart is the oldest guy in the group the Cs are currently building arond, and Curry is well older than Smart.

[NZB2323]

There's currently no player available worth trading for Ben. So there won't be a trade made. That seems pretty simple to me. I don't understand why others can't get this. You're right no team is going to trade a HAPPY star for Ben. And philly doesn't expect that. But a star is going to demand a trade and then that happens, Ben suddenly looks really good. Give it a year man.

The longer this goes on, the less trade value Simmons has. Morey says he has 4 years. If 3 years go by and Simmons hasn't played an NBA game, do you really want to trade for him? Also, if a star demands a trade is Simmons really the best package from across the league?

If Simmons is still on the roster past the trade deadline Morey should be fired. There’s zero question about that.

Morey said he has 4 years to trade Simmons and he won't trade him unless he gets a top 30 player back.

[Duke4life831]

I mean if ben starts shooting he'll have zero value..the man can't shoot even a little. He should NEVERRRRRRR attempt a jumper in a game.

I couldn't disagree more. Take Giannis is an example. He is a pretty bad shooter. Shooting has always been his biggest weakness and I don't think that he will ever become a good shooter. But he still takes perimeter shots when the situation demands it and that's a good thing. The fact that Giannis is willing to take perimeter shots means that you cannot give him 10-15 feet of space like you can with Simmons. Because if you do, he can punish you. And even if he doesn't punish you with 3s, he can take a step inside and shoot a mid-range jumper or find a way to Eurostep his way to the basket if you give him enough room to get a head of steam. So, you have to play Giannis a bit closer and that just opens up his drives. It's why Giannis has always been able to give you 25+ PPG, even in the playoffs. No, he will never be a good shooter but his willingness to at least take that shot when the defense gives it frees up his offensive game and makes him much more dangerous. People still close out at Giannis. No one's closing out at Simmons.

A star-level offensive player just has to be able to at least take some outside shots. He has to have some kind of range. It doesn't even need to be a 3. A 15 footer can do the trick as well. Heck, even Centers have to be able to take those shots currently and Ben is often the primary ball-handler which makes it that much more crucial for him. How can you run a pick and roll when you know that the ballhandler will never, ever raise up for a shot if you drop too much? You just can't.

I dont think Giannis taking 3.8 3s a game at 28% is helping the offense. Also teams Giannis taking 3s arent doing anything to the defense either.

Wide open attempts this year (6+ feet from the closest defender)
2.5 attempts per game

Open attempts this year (4-6ft from the closest defender)
1.3 attempts per game

So that's it, all of his attempts are either wide open or open. Which means defenses are playing him as a 3pt shooter. They're giving him those shots. Their close outs arent real close outs, they're the half ass kind. Im sure opposing coaches and defenses sigh a breath of relief when Giannis shoots a 3pt shot.

Shooting 3s just to shoot 3s doesnt mean defenses are going to warp their defense and fear you shooting a 3. Defenses will begin to get warped and respect the 3pt shooter when they know that player is a threat from 3. Giannis averages 25+ per game because he is very aggressive and attacks the paint constantly.

Ben is also a worse shooter than Giannis. So Ben can go out there and take 4-5 3s a game, defenses arent going to respect his shot and start warping their defense just because he is taking those shots. Because most likely Ben will shoot those 3s in the teens or low 20% range.

There are 2 major differences between Giannis and Ben.

1. The aggression. Giannis is a far more aggressive player than Ben.
2. Giannis has a makable shot outside of 10 feet. Giannis actually has a makable shot from 15ft. Defenses have to play him for that mid range shot. That is enough respect where Giannis can take advantage and attack the defense. Simmons doesnt have any kind of respectable shot outside of 5 feet. So Ben can be standing at the FT line and defenses still wont guard him.

Ben doesnt need a 3pt shot. Him shooting 3s at a 20% clip wont do anything. Ben needs to be far more aggressive attacking the basket, and he needs some kind of respectable shot at that 15-18ft range. That way teams would have to at least respect him to that distance and that would make it easier for him to be more aggressive and attack the rim.

[Tacoma]

Morey wants an allstar, he doesn't want a good player. Nobody has offered him an allstar level guy so he's asked to be compensated for that. This is trading 101. If you don't get what you need you'd ask for extras to assure you make up the gap, and in this case you'd need 400x value in terms of a picks to take a lesser player. Other GM's know this. They've been trying to low ball the 76ers like they should do because that's how most star deals happen. But unlike any trade in NBA history, this is a young star under a LONG term deal. So ben is literally the most valuable player in nba history who's up for trade like this.

The issue here is that not everyone sees Ben as a star right now. A good part of it is his performance in the last playoffs but even if you were to ignore that, he has a lot of holes in his game. Ben is a star-level defender (although, I'd say that the fact that he isn't a rim protector limits him a bit there) but offensively he isn't a star. His playmaking ability is great but it is hampered by his inability to take perimeter shots and pressure the opposing team with his scoring. He requires a pretty specific setup to get the most out of him and my guess is that a lot of teams are wondering right now whether it is worth it to build their team around him.

I understand your argument but Ben simply doesn't have the value that Morey is asking for at the moment. He isn't worth a top 30-50 player. He is worth an one-time All-Star, not a perennial All-Star. That means that you cannot go around and ask for 6+ picks and a good player. It is unreasonable. A borderline All-Star and 1 pick is the most that you can ask for right now.

So, no, I don't believe that teams are low balling the Sixers. I believe that Morey is asking for way too much for a player that, currently at least, doesn't have that kind of value. I think that Morey regrets not trading Simmons last year when his value was significantly higher and is now compounding that mistake by not accepting that his value has plummeted. Fact is, that value isn't going to rise unless Simmons plays and he isn't going to play for the Sixers ever again.

I know fans are media have been down on Ben, but I highly doubt GM's have changed their valuation on him by much if any. They get paid to NOT overreact.

Now to the bigger point, Philly isn't going to find a team that wants to trade their guy for Ben unless they feel Ben's a pretty good upgrade. But if someone asks out, then Ben becomes a MUCH more reasonable take. That's the game plan and no player has become available yet.

So meanwhile if a team wants ben and doesn't have a star...philly needs to get a stupid package of picks so they're ready to try and land that disgruntled star when he becomes available. And likely this means there won't be this type of deal. But that's what philly has to get to trade ben. A star or a package that's almost insane in terms of picks.

And thus we're here waiting because that's where we are. And it might be a year....philly seems good with this. Doesn't make sense to me that fans don't get that.

I get it but I'm not buying it.

Firstly, it's rare that another disgruntled star makes a trade demand. Secondly, even if one does become available, there will be a bidding war for that star and other teams can easily outbid and do better than Philly for Simmons - a guy who can't shoot or hit FT's and has mental issues and disappears in the playoffs and hasn't improved since his rookie year, etc.

That Philly seems good with this doesn't make it good. Simmons has been a depreciating asset since his horrendous playoff performance last year. As for Simmons getting a top-30 player in return, that ship has sailed.

[VanWest82]

Is Ben really worth less than Demar was after flaming out vs. Cavs for the 3rd time in a row? Raps parlayed DD, Jak, and a low FRP into Kawhi freaking Leonard. Yes, Kawhi was hurt and there are other caveats (i.e. teams knew he was going to LA for family reasons) but that doesn't change the fact that there are circumstances where you can trade very good, albeit flawed players plus assets for a star. Morey is right to wait this out. Time is on his side.

Edit: and to clarify in case it wasn't clear in my post, Morey clearly isn't interested in haggling over picks coming back. He's looking to package Ben + picks/assets to get a better player than Ben.

[dhsilv2]

A player who is afraid to shoot free throws and refuses to play because of criticism/boos is not the most valuable player who is up for a trade.

That’s why Morey isn’t finding a deal. No one wants to trade a top 30 player for Simmons. No GM, no fan, no coach, ect. I’m a Bulls fan and I have absolutely 0 interest in trading for Ben Simmons. We already have the GOAT in Alex Caruso.

That’s why Kyrie Irving for Ben Simmons makes the most sense.

There's currently no player available worth trading for Ben. So there won't be a trade made. That seems pretty simple to me. I don't understand why others can't get this. You're right no team is going to trade a HAPPY star for Ben. And philly doesn't expect that. But a star is going to demand a trade and then that happens, Ben suddenly looks really good. Give it a year man.

The longer this goes on, the less trade value Simmons has. Morey says he has 4 years. If 3 years go by and Simmons hasn't played an NBA game, do you really want to trade for him? Also, if a star demands a trade is Simmons really the best package from across the league?

Look at what teams have gotten for better players such as harden or leonard. Yeah, I'd rather have simmons and I'm not going to be worried about if Ben hasn't played in a year as long as he passes the physical and he says he'll play for me.

[dhsilv2]

The issue here is that not everyone sees Ben as a star right now. A good part of it is his performance in the last playoffs but even if you were to ignore that, he has a lot of holes in his game. Ben is a star-level defender (although, I'd say that the fact that he isn't a rim protector limits him a bit there) but offensively he isn't a star. His playmaking ability is great but it is hampered by his inability to take perimeter shots and pressure the opposing team with his scoring. He requires a pretty specific setup to get the most out of him and my guess is that a lot of teams are wondering right now whether it is worth it to build their team around him.

I understand your argument but Ben simply doesn't have the value that Morey is asking for at the moment. He isn't worth a top 30-50 player. He is worth an one-time All-Star, not a perennial All-Star. That means that you cannot go around and ask for 6+ picks and a good player. It is unreasonable. A borderline All-Star and 1 pick is the most that you can ask for right now.

So, no, I don't believe that teams are low balling the Sixers. I believe that Morey is asking for way too much for a player that, currently at least, doesn't have that kind of value. I think that Morey regrets not trading Simmons last year when his value was significantly higher and is now compounding that mistake by not accepting that his value has plummeted. Fact is, that value isn't going to rise unless Simmons plays and he isn't going to play for the Sixers ever again.

I know fans are media have been down on Ben, but I highly doubt GM's have changed their valuation on him by much if any. They get paid to NOT overreact.

Now to the bigger point, Philly isn't going to find a team that wants to trade their guy for Ben unless they feel Ben's a pretty good upgrade. But if someone asks out, then Ben becomes a MUCH more reasonable take. That's the game plan and no player has become available yet.

So meanwhile if a team wants ben and doesn't have a star...philly needs to get a stupid package of picks so they're ready to try and land that disgruntled star when he becomes available. And likely this means there won't be this type of deal. But that's what philly has to get to trade ben. A star or a package that's almost insane in terms of picks.

And thus we're here waiting because that's where we are. And it might be a year....philly seems good with this. Doesn't make sense to me that fans don't get that.

I get it but I'm not buying it.

Firstly, it's rare that another disgruntled star makes a trade demand. Secondly, even if one does become available, there will be a bidding war for that star and other teams can easily outbid and do better than Philly for Simmons - a guy who can't shoot or hit FT's and has mental issues and disappears in the playoffs and hasn't improved since his rookie year, etc.

That Philly seems good with this doesn't make it good. Simmons has been a depreciating asset since his horrendous playoff performance last year. As for Simmons getting a top-30 player in return, that ship has sailed.

Stars ask out rather often. Most packages for stars are a bunch of middling first round picks.