Did the Sixers Offer Ben Simmons to the Rockets?
The James Harden – Ben Simmons trade rumors have reached a fever pitch over the last week after Woj, Ramona Shelburne, and Shams Charania reported Ben Simmons had been included in trade discussions.
Daryl Morey was then quick to quash the idea.
So, who is telling the truth here?
The wording of the Morey response is interesting.
Morey did not deny Ben Simmons was offered. And saying they are not trading him may only be true for today, next week, or a month.
Whilst this statement seems to say a lot at first glance, it also doesn’t say everything.
Brian Windhorst via the Hoop Collective Podcast further backed up Woj, Ramona, and Shams’ reports. Daryl Morey knows the external noise of a franchise player being on the trade table is the last thing the team needs while building a cohesive team unit. If Morey stays silent or avoids the question, it all but confirms the reports, creating uncertainty amongst the team and likely upsetting one of your franchise’s cornerstone players.
Photo: USA Today
Put yourself in Ben Simmons’ shoes, you are a franchise player, two-time all-star at 24, signed for five years, and you have only ever indicated a commitment to Philadelphia. You are then offered in a trade days before the season starts, and the possibility of having to pack your bags and move across the country at any moment hits home. This could at least put a small dent in the loyalty you feel towards the franchise.
When questioned on the reports, Doc Rivers said, “none of this has started from us.” Doc is a seasoned media pro. Just because the reports are not coming from the Sixers team does not mean they didn’t happen. The Rockets are most likely leaking the reports. Doc’s response here means nothing. What is somewhat interesting, in this media availability before the Sixers’ final pre-season game, Doc mentioned he had a phone call with Ben regarding the reports and could not divulge their conversation. This could be simply because he wants to gain Ben’s trust, or perhaps there’s something interesting to hide in these conversations.
All of the reports suggest a deal is not close. However, as it stands, the Rockets will not get a young player better than Ben Simmons back for Harden, and it’s hard to see this changing. If the Rockets prioritize getting a young star back, a deal could still happen. After reports emerged of discussions occurring around a John Wall for Russell Westbrook trade, Wizards’ GM Tommy Sheppard responded, saying there are no plans to trade John Wall. Nine days later, John Wall was traded for Russell Westbrook. Team executives will often stretch the truth if it is clearly in the best interest of the team.
The Sixers and Rockets may very well re-engage and get a deal done before the deadline. Particularly with James Harden’s pre-season behavior, followed by recent reports from Shams of tension between Harden and Houston teammates, the Rockets’ bargaining power is likely to continue to reduce with time.
It is hard to deny how good the Sixers would be if they received a package including Harden and P.J. Tucker for Simmons. Understandably, the Sixers were willing to engage in these discussions. The Rockets, for the time being, appear to be standing firm on their position of requiring Simmons and a significant amount more for Harden. Whilst Sixers are currently not willing to offer up anything close to this.
Four of the most reliable and plugged-in reporters around the league reported the Sixers included Ben Simmons in trade discussions.
Make no mistake, these discussions happened.
Truth or not, Daryl Morey did exactly what he needed to do in saying the Sixers are not trading Ben Simmons.
Featured Image: USA Today
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Categorized:Sixers