Sixers Rumored Trade Target Bradley Beal Done for Year

Ever since the Ben Simmons saga started in Philadelphia, the Sixers have had their eyes on several top-tier stars. The first was Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard. The second was Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal.

As both players are with organizations that haven't quite found a way to build an optimal supporting cast around them, the Sixers figured one would have to become available sooner than later as their teams might want to hit the reset button by swapping their star for Ben Simmons and more.

But on the Lillard, Beal front, nothing went in favor of the Sixers. Not only did Lillard reiterate his loyalty to Portland countless times, but the star guard battled through an injury to start the season. Eventually, he decided to shut himself down.

On January 13, Lillard underwent abdominal surgery. With a 6-8-week timetable for re-evaluation set, it became clear Lillard won't be on the move anytime soon.

The Sixers shifted their focus away from Lillard and back onto Beal. As the Wizards' hot start to the 2021-2022 season quickly cooled down, many believed there was a possibility Washington would blow it up. However, their star guard suffered a significant injury as well -- and now he's set to miss the rest of the season.

Breaking: Bradley Beal plans to undergo season-ending surgery on his left wrist, sources told @wojespn. pic.twitter.com/RrvoNQEFfI
— ESPN (@espn) February 8, 2022

Beal has been off the floor for the last four games due to a wrist injury. On Tuesday night, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Beal intends to undergo wrist surgery. Therefore, he's set to miss the rest of the season.

And Then There Was One...

With Beal and Lillard out of the picture, for now, the Sixers are likely down to one star trade target ahead of the 2022 trade deadline as they pursue Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden once again.

Over the last few weeks, there have been rumblings about the Sixers' plan to hold onto Simmons for the rest of the season and then use him as a key piece in a sign and trade with the Nets to land Harden over the summer.

As Harden made his frustrations with the Nets clear, the chances of the Sixers and the Nets getting something done before Thursday's deadline seems to have increased over the last few days.

While a Harden-Simmons deal still seems far away, it's clear the Sixers don't have another star they are gunning for at this time. While pursuing a buzzer-beater deal with the Wizards to land Beal seemed like a realistic option, that's no longer the case.

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