A Ben Simmons Trade Isn't Happening Any Time Soon

The Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons are still at an impasse. Simmons wants to be traded and the Sixers want a big haul to move him. They won't get what they're looking for and Simmons won't return to the team. It's looking highly unlikely a deal will happen this season.

The Sixers would like Simmons to return to the court, a move that would increase his trade value in the long run, while also helping the franchise in the short term. Simmons doesn't want to play for the 76ers anymore, and wants to be moved as soon as possible. Philadelphia wants a huge haul in return for its 25-year-old three-time All-Star.

Without their point guard, the Sixers have limped to a 23-17 record and sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. That's one season after they went 49-23 and secured the No. 1 seed in the East. Clearly they need more, and their former No. 1 overall pick and presumptive franchise player sitting out has been a big blow to the team.

Simmons is signed through the 2024-25 season as a result of the five-year, $177 million max contract that began in the 2020-21 season. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers want top-25 caliber players in return for Simmons. That kind of talent has so far not been made available to them. And, according to Woj, Philadelphia's price tag for Simmons might actually be going up.

Frankly, that's absurd. Simmons is a phenomenal defensive point guard and is a nightly triple-double threat. But he doesn't fit the modern game. his lack of shooting severely hinders what he can do on the offensive end. Last season he only hit three of the 10 three-pointers he attempted, and only shot 61.3 percent from the free throw line. His PER also dropped to 18.38, the lowest of his career.

While he's only 25, Simmons is seen around the NBA as a declining asset. His play has dropped off, he's seen as a problem child and his shooting woes mean it's hard to have him on the court in closing time.

Teams aren't going to throw top-level players at the Sixers to take on a 6-foot-11 point guard who can't shoot, has declining stats across the board and mopes when things don't go his way. It's just not going to happen unless another franchise wants to dump a terrible contract.

A Simmons trade almost certainly won't happen until the offseason. The Sixers need to readjust their expectations, stop pushing for the spectacular and settle for a solid return. That's all they can hope to get at this point.