The 76ers are embracing the inevitable.
President of basketball operations Daryl Morey has opened up trade conversations surrounding Ben Simmons, according to The Athletic.
Teams are reportedly being told the price is high for the three-time All Star – “[the 76ers] want an All-Star-caliber player in return,” a source with knowledge of the talks said.
While Simmons struggled last season as the 76ers fell to the Hawks in seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, there is still plenty of interest in him around the league. Simmons is still just 24 years old and is locked up through the 2025 season.
Simmons was an All-NBA team member just two seasons ago, has been on the All-Defensive first-team twice and was named Rookie of the Year. Simmons’ strong defensive style and elite post skills make him a sought after player, despite his lack of shooting ability that became a glaring problem during Philadelphia’s postseason.
The Melbourne, Australia native is skipping the Tokyo Olympics this summer to work on his “skill package.”
Both head coach Doc Rivers and franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid called Simmons out after they were eliminated from the playoffs, though Rivers said they were a formulating a plan to help Simmons this offseason.
The 76ers signed Simmons to a five-year, $170 million contract extension just two years ago on July 15, 2019.