Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
The Ben Simmons saga wages on in Philadelphia and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey says it might be a while before he will be traded.
Despite not playing a minute yet — and not scheduled to do so anytime soon — Ben Simmons has been one of the biggest stories of the young 2021-22 NBA season.
Amid the Philadelphia 76ers‘ former No. 1 overall pick’s request to be traded and subsequent holdout that has now ended, he was suspended for the season-opener for “conduct detrimental to the team” after a beef with head coach Doc Rivers in practice. He was then called “out indefinitely” because he’s not ready to play yet.
But if you thought that was going to speed up a trade happening, you’d be wrong.
Speaking with a Philadelphia radio station, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey spoke candidly about the possibility of a Ben Simmons trade and it doesn’t sound like anything is close.
A Ben Simmons trade could take a “very long time” to get done
It’s understandable that Morey would want to get the very best value possible in any Ben Simmons trade given the investment the organization made in him. And if that value isn’t there with getting “role players” in return, then it stands to reason why a trade could take a “very long time.”
What remains to be seen is how the league-wide valuation of Simmons will change if he doesn’t see the floor.
The entire situation with Simmons and the 76ers is messy. He wants to be traded and is, based on what we’re seeing, disengaged from the team after rejoining them. However, if Morey is to be taken seriously, then the best path to a possible trade could be Simmons getting ready and playing well for Philadelphia.
Considering that a new wrinkle develops virtually every day with this situation, this probably won’t be the last about Ben Simmons or a potential trade that we’ll see.