NBA Scout Believes There's 'No Ideal' Team for Ben Simmons

The Sixers seem more than ready to move on from Ben Simmons as long as the price is right for the team's President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey.

While Simmons is a three-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year finalist at 25-years-old, the Sixers are struggling to find a trade partner. Sure, Morey's sky-high trade demands have a lot to do with their inability to move Simmons this offseason.

But an anonymous Eastern Conference scout also believes that Simmons' fit on teams around the league might shy organizations away from attempting to acquire the soon-to-be fifth-year guard.

Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer laid out the details regarding the Simmons trade saga in his latest piece. On the one hand, there are teams that believe Simmons is a top-25 player in the NBA and is worth trading some notable assets for.

On the other hand, there are teams that simply don't believe Simmons is worth trading for at all as his atypical playing style for his position leaves the All-Star with many question marks surrounding his game.

"Simmons’s value, though, is almost secondary to the fact that his unique style (a defense-first player who isn’t a threat to shoot and has a non-traditional impact on both ends) makes finding a fit difficult. Not to mention that the lasting image teams have of him from last season is his passing up the easiest shot on the court. That’s why, even though a trade seems more likely than not, it may be a while before it happens.

"'To be honest, there’s really no ideal place for him,' one Eastern Conference scout said."

In college, Simmons was listed as a power forward at LSU. When he joined the Sixers as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons made it clear that he's a point guard in the NBA.

Sure, Simmons is a stellar playmaker as he's a crafty passer, but his unwillingness to shoot from outside of the paint consistently hurts his team more than it helps them at times -- especially when it comes to the playoffs.

While many suggest it's finally time for Simmons to shift to power forward no matter where he goes, the same questions remain. Will he be open to the switch? And is Simmons willing to expand his game and his shooting range?

Simmons still has to prove he's willing to improve offensively for his team to maximize his potential regardless of where he moves on the floor. 

Since not a single team -- including the Sixers -- know if that's possible or not, it's made it a lot harder for teams to be willing to pay up the high price the 76ers want since Simmons carries a lot of question marks at this point in his career.

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