NBA Rumors: Sixers Haven't Shown Any Interest in Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving

Ben Simmons remains committed to his holdout from the Philadelphia 76ers. Ever since requesting a trade from the team during the early stages of the offseason, Simmons has had every intention of moving on.

Unfortunately for the disgruntled star, the Sixers hold all of the leverage over him. As he has multiple seasons left on his contract, the Sixers can sit tight and continue to deduct money from his salary as a form of punishment for not showing up.

Right now, the Sixers hope that Simmons eventually decides to return to the team. But trading him away isn't out of the question. If another team is willing to ship out an All-Star caliber player in return for the 25-year-old All-Star, then Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey is sure to consider the deal.

At times during the offseason, many have suggested the Brooklyn Nets should consider offering up their starting point guard Kyrie Irving for Simmons straight-up. 

Considering Simmons' playmaking ability could fit well alongside scorers James Harden and Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving's ability to do it all on offense would surely benefit Joel Embiid and the Sixers, a Simmons-Irving swap could be a win-win for both teams.

But according to Marc Stein, the Sixers have left zero indication that they'd be interested in exploring a potential deal for Kyrie Irving at the moment.

"There is no indication the Philadelphia 76ers have interest in exploring a potential Ben Simmons for Kyrie Irving trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Irving is currently not allowed to play home games for the Nets due to his vaccination status. There is some belief around the league that Irving would retire, or at least seriously consider it, if the Nets traded him. Irving can also be a free agent in 2022. The 76ers continue to explore a trade of Simmons while he remains away from the team."

An Irving-Simmons swap was far-fetched from the gate since Kevin Durant would have a say in whether Brooklyn moves on from the star guard or not. 

There is also some belief that Irving would actually call it quits if he's moved, which certainly scares teams off from trading for the 29-year-old star. 

The Sixers are indeed in a difficult situation with Simmons still on the roster and unwilling to show up and play. But swapping him out for Irving most likely wouldn't make life easier in Philadelphia at this time.

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