Weighing Six Potential Ben Simmons Trade Destinations Before the Deadline

Raise your hand if you’re surprised Ben Simmons is still a 76er.

My hand’s up because I genuinely believed—like Shaquille O’Neal and many other NBA observers—that there was no way Philadelphia could enter the season with the maligned point guard still on its roster. 

But here we are, only a few weeks to go before the NBA trade deadline arrives Feb. 10 and Simmons remains a Sixer. It feels like a trade is absolutely, positively, definitely maybe, sorta possibly on the horizon reading all the rumors. But honestly, nobody really knows what the hell’s going to happen since some insiders will tell you a deal before the deadline feels inevitable, while others believe the Sixers will be content holding onto Simmons in order to make a move over the summer. Daryl Morey, the man pulling the strings behind the scenes for Philadelphia, reportedly isn’t going to budge on shipping the offensively limited asset unless the team can land a top 25-caliber player in return. Yet on Thursday, the Sixers president of basketball operations finally shed some light on the situation, appearing on “The Mike Missanelli Show” on 97.5 The Fanatic.

“The one thing we’re in agreement on is we would like a win-win trade,” Morey said. “A trade that helps the 76ers, it’s most likely going to help Ben in his mind and what his goals are and we’d like to accomplish that by by the Feb. 10 deadline. If we don’t, then I think this foundation that we’ve established, we’ll see if that can help us work through things if there isn’t a trade. Trades are hard to do. It takes two, right? That’s again why I feel the fans frustration like just get a deal done. Well it takes two sides, right? In this case, it’s probably going to take three sides, it’s probably going to take multiple teams, and whenever you’re involving a big trade with multiple teams, the odds of those deals happening are just low and so I think I feel the fans’ frustration.”

Considering Philadelphia’s been good enough to be in the mix in the East despite being down an All-Star, that’s the biggest reason why it should get aggressive. Because the Sixers could be blowing an awesome opportunity this season if they keep digging in their heels and don’t swing a deal to fortify a roster that could use an infusion.

Injuries, parity, and the vaccination status of one superstar in Brooklyn makes the conference conquerable if you’re Philadelphia. Joel Embiid—who dropped a career-high 50 points on Orlando Wednesday—is enjoying an excellent campaign and assuming JoJo stays healthy—always a massive “if”—I can’t be the only one who thinks it’s stupid that the Sixers would essentially punt on a prime season from their All-NBA center by not giving him the help he needs to make a serious run at reaching a conference final or even the NBA Finals.

So, if one of the most uncomfortable situations in recent NBA memory finally comes to a merciful end, where could the 25-year-old three-time All-Star who was the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft end up? And what, at this point, would he bring back? We took a stab at this just before the season began. Since things done changed around the Association, it’s time for an update.

What Will He Bring Back?

Undoubtedly, Simmons’ value—which once upon a time was sky high—ain’t what it used to be. Not after that woeful performance against the Hawks in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals. Not after shying away from attacking the basket. And most especially not after he’s refused to suit up for the organization (stated reason: mental health issues) that drafted him almost six years ago.

Simmons isn’t netting the Sixers a Bradley Beal or a Damian Lillard. Neither of those superstars have given us any indication they want out of Washington and Portland, respectively. Plus, Lillard just underwent abdominal surgery and is expected to miss at least six weeks. Philly will have to set their sights lower. Morey will have a tough time landing a top 25-caliber player in return for Simmons, but could easily nab a player hovering, hypothetically, in the 30s, 40s, or 50s as the centerpiece of a trade. There’s a good chance Philly also asks for multiple future first-round picks in an exchange, but any that are sent to the 76ers would likely feature significant protections.

Complicating matters, to a degree, are additional reports that Morey would also like to move Tobias Harris, the Sixers forward, before the deadline. Possibly, or even ideally, in a package with Simmons. 

Good luck with that since Harris is owed a massive amount of money ($80 million) over the next two seasons while Simmons is making $33 million this season. He’s due $112 million over the next three seasons before he becomes a free agent in 2025. He’ll make $40 million during the 2024-25 season.  

Where Could He Land?

Let’s name the places he probably won’t land, first and foremost.

We can probably rule out Toronto, New York, Brooklyn, both Los Angeles teams, and Golden State as destinations if Simmons’ vaccination status hasn’t changed. Each of those cities has strict mandates regarding local players. As far as we still know, Simmons hasn’t received a jab since he was treated as a player who was unvaccinated upon returning to the Sixers in October. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer said on the “Locked on Sixers” podcast in early December that as of November, two Sixers remained unvaccinated and Simmons was one of them. 

Even if there wasn’t a local mandate in LA, we can rule out the Lakers as a Simmons landing spot because their cap situation is a disaster and Morey absolutely is not taking back Russell Westbrook in a trade. Same with the Warriors. A deal centered around Andrew Wiggins and Golden State’s recent first-round picks was a popular hypothetical one before the season tipped, but Wiggins is playing at an All-Star level and the Warriors aren’t looking to drastically change a roster that’s been one of the NBA’s most cohesive. Cleveland, once thought to be a potential destination for Simmons, has made smaller moves to address their backcourt situation and it’s generally believed the Cavaliers, one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season, won’t be active in any major deals before the deadline.

But there are a number of other locales where Simmons could wind up without any restrictions and our pal Shams Charania, NBA insider for The Athletic and Stadium Shams Charania, recently outlined a number of teams that have enough assets to be trade partners with the Sixers.