Lillard's Loyalty to Blazers Leaves Sixers in Tough Situation With Simmons

Ever since their second-round playoff exit this past season, the Sixers have been open to moving their All-Star point guard Ben Simmons. While entering the 2021-2022 season with Simmons still on the roster remains an option -- and a likely one at this point -- it's certainly in the 76ers' best interest to deal him away sooner than later.

Unfortunately, the situation going on over in Portland could prevent the Sixers from not only moving Simmons soon -- but it could also keep the Sixers from landing their ideal target, which is Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

All along, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey was rumored to have his sights set on landing Lillard. As reports surfaced mentioning that Lillard was close to requesting a trade from the Blazers, it seemed it was only a matter of time before a Lillard-Simmons swap came to life.

But at this point, that scenario is becoming more of a pipe dream. In his latest news dump of league intel, Shams Charania of The Athletic offered a not-so-promising update for the Sixers on the Damian Lillard front.

"Philadelphia has its eyes set on Portland All-NBA guard Damian Lillard, sources say, but the Trail Blazers have fully focused on continuing to build around Lillard. As of now, Lillard is continuing to evaluate the Trail Blazers’ present and future and is slated to begin training camp with the organization."

All signs are pointing towards Lillard remaining loyal to the Blazers as he's restored faith in Portland's front office and their ability to build around him. Meanwhile, the Sixers are stuck in a difficult predicament, according to Charania.

"In some ways, the 76ers are stuck between deciding whether to make a move now with Simmons," Charania writes. "Or waiting until a star like Lillard shakes free." If Morey and the Sixers roll with the latter strategy, they'll enter the 2021-2022 season with Simmons still on the roster.

If they choose to ship the All-Star off earlier than that, cutting ties before the situation gets ugly in Philly, the Sixers might end up selling Simmons off for a discounted price, which is something Morey's been trying to avoid all offseason long.

While many executives around the league still believe it's a matter of when and not if the Sixers trade Simmons, the big question is becoming who and what the 76ers will get rid of Simmons for. When the Simmons sweepstakes started, the only two logical players the 76ers should have been gunning for were Lillard and Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal.

With those two currently content with their situations, the Sixers are left fielding offers from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors, and several other teams who don't necessarily have an All-Star in their prime to offer up.

Should the Sixers bite the bullet and accept a package of picks and role players for their three-time All-Star? Or should they continue to play the waiting game in hopes that another All-Star becomes disgruntled at some point early in the season? That's what Daryl Morey has to figure out soon as the new season approaches.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.