Opinion: This NBA Team Continues To Be A Sleeper In The Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons Trade Possibilities
On Tuesday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Ben Simmons will not show up to Philadelphia 76ers training camp which begins later this month.
The Tweet from Wojnarowski can be seen embedded below.
Wojnarowski's first Tweet said: "ESPN Sources: Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons will not report for opening of training camp next week and intends to never play another game for the franchise. Simmons hasn’t spoken to team since a late August meeting when he communicated this message to Sixers officials."
Wojnarowski then quote Tweeted his Tweet with another Tweet adding more information.
Wojnarowski's second Tweet said: "Simmons is clearly aware of sanctions available to organization to fine and suspend him, including withholding of salary. But so far, Simmons appears willing to carry out a plan of forcing his way to a new team. Sixers have yet to find a a trade they’re willing to make for him."
The article on ESPN from Wojnarowski can be read here, and his Tweet can be seen below.
Opinion: The Pacers Should Pull The Trigger:
The Indiana Pacers continue to be slept on when discussing possibilities of where Ben Simmons could be traded.
There are very few teams that have the depth the Pacers do, which is a gift and a curse.
The Pacers are nowhere near a team that can win an NBA title, but they are also nowhere near a lousy team.
They have many good players, but not any great ones.
Contrary to popular belief, Simmons is a great player.
He just turned 25 years old, and has been an All-Star in each of the last three seasons.
The 76ers are in need of players that can help them contend right now with potential MVP Joel Embiid.
Meanwhile, the Pacers are in need of relevancy and an actual great player.
A lot of times when a superstar is traded the team is looking for a full on rebuild.
This is an interesting case where the team trading the superstar is looking to contend this season.
Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, Domantas Sabonis, T.J. Warren, Myles Turner, the list goes on of players that the Pacers have who could help the 76ers win an NBA Championship this season, or at least get further than they went last season.
Back in July, Jason Dumas of Bleacher Report reported that the Pacers made a trade offer for Simmons (see Tweet below).
Dumas' Tweet From July 2 said: "The Sixers have already fielded offers for Ben Simmons but continue to hold a stance that they will only trade him for an all-star caliber player. They most recently turned down a deal with the Pacers that included Malcolm Brogdon and a 1st round pick."
If that report from Dumas was true, then the Pacers should be getting on the phone with the 76ers right now to offer that again.
Back in July, the possibility of Simmons leaving seemed strong, but now it seems like his tenure in Philadelphia is definitely over.
The trade would make sense for both parties, and the 76ers are losing leverage by the day the more this gets outs to the public and other teams around the league.
