NBA Rumors: Sixers' Top Goal is Getting Ben Simmons Back on the Court

The NBA trade deadline is still more than a month away at this point. Although the Philadelphia 76ers were notified that Ben Simmons wanted to be traded back in the summer, the Sixers have yet to move the three-time All-Star.

Philadelphia's decision to hold onto Simmons for this long isn't due to a lack of interest. As several teams contacted the Sixers to discuss a potential Simmons trade, they all found out that Daryl Morey and Philly's front office value the 25-year-old guard maybe more than anybody.

Therefore, landing Simmons won't come cheap for any interested organization. While Simmons made it clear he doesn't have an interest in continuing his career with the Sixers, the organization hasn't accepted that at this point.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Philly's top goal as the trade deadline approaches isn't to find a deal they like to ship Simmons off. Instead, it's to get the guard back on the floor for their playoff push.

The Latest on the Simmons Saga

"The 76ers will be discussing various Simmons trade scenarios for the next month, but actually trading him before the NBA’s annual trade buzzer is not their preferred scenario. As it stands.

"Convincing Simmons to rejoin the team and play as much of the remaining schedule as possible, according to one source familiar with Philadelphia’s thinking, is the club’s “goal No. 1” when it comes to the wayward playmaker."

Daryl Morey made two things clear when the Simmons saga started. One, the Sixers aren't going to trade the young guard for the sake of getting something done. And two, the team is willing to be patient and play out the situation for as long as it takes until they receive an ideal return or get Simmons back out on the floor.

There's been speculation that the Sixers could wait until the offseason to see which top players become available, rather than rushing to get a deal done before this year's trade deadline. Considering their reported number one goal is to have Simmons play for them again, all signs seem to be pointing towards that sentiment truly being the case.

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