The Philadelphia 76ers are posturing that they will not be trading Ben Simmons unless their price is met, putting out a message that they are ready and willing to enter next season with Simmons on the roster.
Despite that obvious negotiating tactic, everyone still expects Simmons to be elsewhere next season, including 76ers guard Danny Green. Green spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Howard Beck, and spoke about Simmons in a very past-tense manner:
Coming tomorrow on the Crossover, @DGreen_14: on getting married, Sixers title hopes and the future of Ben Simmons.
Subscribe: https://t.co/lhCvpA2us5 pic.twitter.com/YFbbuAYqGy
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) August 31, 2021
Simmons himself has also reportedly told the 76ers that he won’t report to training camp:
Ben Simmons tells #Sixers brass he no longer wants to be a Sixer and does not intend to report to training camp, according to multiple sources. https://t.co/17X1XfkzZO via @phillyinquirer
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) August 31, 2021
Adding to this intrigue is that the Kings are now the frontrunners to land Simmons, at least according to oddsmakers.
According to Sports Betting Dime, the latest odds on Ben Simmons’ next team favor the Kings (+275) over the Warriors (+550) with the Blazers a close third at +900. That stands in pretty stark contrast to the odds at the beginning of the month, which had the Blazers at +150 followed by the Raptors (+250) and Warriors (+300).
Do the oddmakers know something we don’t? The Blazers falling out of the favorites would seem to be a reaction to Damian Lillard staying put, at least for now. Similarly, with the Raptors reportedly not trading Pascal Siakam, their odds have fallen as well. But as for what catapulted the Kings ahead of the Warriors, that remains open to speculation.
It’s a reasonable expectation that as the season draws closer we’ll see Philadelphia’s asking price begin to lower, and the offers from other teams may get better.
Stay tuned.
At this rate, we’ll get Simmons for Alex Oriakhi and a bag of chips!*
*Oriakhi and Chips make as many NBA free throws as Simmons.**
**Still worth it. Unless the chips are Doritos Cool Ranch.
I want to see Fox, Davion, and Simmons on the Kings in the 4th quarter making free throws!
I mean, they’re all good passers, so they can shovel it to Richaun for the free throw-making.
We’ll enter a whole new era of hate-watching this team.
I WILL MOW YOUR LAWN, DARYL MOREY!
Take Hield, Bagley, Mitchell and a top-5 protected first or pound sand. Ain’t trading multiple firsts. Ain’t trading Fox or Haliburton.
That’s more than a fair trade.
If Morey balks, he can kick rocks.
I want Simmons, but I don’t want to lose Fox, Hali, or Mitchell. So conflicted…
Goodbye Fox… I mean Hali… I mean Fox…
Damn it
I feel like Morey overplayed his hand, though wanting to see if Dame or Beal could be had is probably worth a risk.
I feel like Chicago and Lavine still might be a darkhorse for Simmons.
Personally, I would be fine sending them Barnes/Hali/protected first. I think Buddy would be a dangerous weapon again with Simmons and Fox in the starting lineup. I love Hali, but Simmons is probably set to prove haters wrong, and fills a lot of holes for the Kings.
I’d imagine that Philly doesn’t want anything that doesn’t include Hield, since he fills their most obvious need.
Do you think they want Heild? Thats interesting. I guess between he and Curry that it optimizes the room Embiid has to work.
Perhaps Barnes/Heild can get it done. I wonder if the Raptors would want to get involved as a third team and route Dragic to the Sixers as well.
Buddy, Barnes, 1 top-5 protected pick, and a pick swap for Simmons and filler. I would throw in Bagley, but that’s too much incoming salary to make it work for them. Or they can take Bagley instead of Barnes if they want.
EDIT: Nevermind, almost exactly the same trade already discussed in more detail below.
I think Indy could come out of nowhere and land him. Wasn’t there some story about them offering Brogdon and Turner plus a pick? However, my gut says Philly would prefer to send him West.
I mean, if they want to punish him for forcing their hand by saying he won’t report to camp, they should send him to the worst place possible.
Basketball Hell, of course.
You say “I mean” alot.
D’oh!
(going to try not to say that at all from now on)
I use that a lot too. That an starting sentences with “Man, “
I mean, you two are dopes, man. Fa shizzle mah nizzle, my dudes.
Well, Philly’s main need is shooting, so Hield and either Bagley or Barnes would get them an elite shooter on higher volume than Seth Curry has ever dreamed of taking.
The question is whether Morey insists on more than two first-rounders, or Mitchell and/or Mitchell and a first-rounder. Barring Morey wanting another Kings player on the roster in lieu of Mitchell or a pick, that’s about as high as I’m willing to go: Hield, Bagley/Barnes, two firsts, or one and Mitchell.
I’d prefer to keep Davion, but if the rest of it is acceptable to Philly, I don’t see how you justify keeping him under the circumstances. The real question is whether Simmons can make a difference by doing what he does, with the real possibility that he never becomes even a decent shooter.
I dont know if it matters if he becomes a shooter if we keep Barnes or Heild. Especially Buddy.
He is a plus rebounder, passer, and ball handler, and can guard so many positions, and with Fox being the first option, and capable scorers in Holmes/Buddy or Barnes/and Haliburton, I am guessing he can integrate himself and be productive enough on pick and rolls and the fast break.
I don’t think we can afford to give both Hield and Barnes unless we’re getting Simmons and another starter back.
Fox, Mitchell, Hali, Simmons, Holmes with no cap space and 2 missing first round picks is maybe not a playoff team and definitely not a contender for the next 5 years.
I’m not saying the 76ers will accept a lesser package, I just don’t see why we’d do it. Seems like a lateral move to where we are now, but with less flexibility in the form of picks.
Apparently, Tyrese Maxey may be bailing out of Philadelphia, as he shares Rich Paul as an agent with Simmons.
I honestly hate agents having this kind of leverage to absolutely fuck up a roster.
Captions….GO!
Vivek: You know McNair’s position will be vacant at some point in the future right?
Morey: I am not looking for a new job…
Morey better take that Hield+Bagley+1st round pick(s) offer before the Kings just take decide to rescind the offer when Simmons doesn’t show up in Philly.
Just saw an Athletic article which said the reports of Fox OR Hali being the targets for Philly was still too high a price for Monte. It used to be Fox or nothing. Now it’s Hali, and Monte is still not blinking at his old boss. Regardless of this deal happens or not, I like the tough negotiating Monte does. He doesn’t let himself get swindled (minus whatever that Thompson trade was) and knows how to evaluate talent and where it can be had below market. Morey’s feet may get held to the fire where Bagley, Buddy and 2FRPs gets it done.
Fox Mitchell
Hali Davis Ramsey
Barnes Harkless King
Simmons Thompson Metu
Holmes Len Jones
If this were the lineup I’d really come around to Monte’s vision….(though I still wonder if there is sufficient shooting in that 5).
Does oddsmaker have the same amount of credibility as me stating Emma Stone will be my girlfriend in 2022?
Just to be safe, make sure you’re single in 2022.
I’ll give you 5-1 odds. Where can I place?
Standard Rich Paul operating procedure.
Morey asked too much, as he should.
Ben’s value will come back down to earth and it will all be over soon, with Damien Lillard landing with Philly.
Ok that last part is me dreaming and I am not letting go of it.
I feel the price is only going to drop on Simmons now that the trade demand is official. As a Philly dude, what is the pulse on the fans out there? Are they as ridiculous as Morey’s hopes are or do they have some more realistic ideas in terms of what the Kings may offer?
We’ll know his actual value soon, media reports are just spin by either side to move the needle in either direction. Look at the amount of tweets suggesting the Sixers FO stinks. Rich Paul’s spin? It won.
Even in today’s digital environment, people forget they’re being played. Now reports come out that another Paul agent, Tyrese Maxey, is on his way out too because Paul wants both of his clients out. Ask yourself, who looks bad here? This isn’t me defending my team, it’s me being aware of what’s going on. Simmons value hasn’t gone up or down, it is what it is. Both sides are spinning us to create their own narrative. As many times as this game is played, it’s still surprising to see voices I respect on twitter not recognizing it.
rant over. Did I mention I’m going through a divorce? My Give-A-Fucks have been thrown out of balance quite a bit. 🙂
His value is what it is, the market will set it.
Philly? Fans love his game and are done with him. It’s not all that complex. I personally believe the goal all along has been to get Lillard, and whatever assets they get will be used for that. But that’s me dreaming because it’s so obvious how well he would fit with Joel. I have to think that’s been Darry’s goal all along.
I love Simmons game personally, and over a long regular season he’s a joy to watch. He’s not what I would want in a PG obviously, but I’d pay money to see him in December at G1C. He’s a very exciting player to watch.
I think this is spot on. Regardless of what Twitter says, Simmons value is has probably not wavered much. I know it seems like Morey has asked for the world, but I am sure he is holding out hope that Dame/Beal wants out, or to a lesser extent, Lavine.
I think the Kings should roll the dice. If it costs Haliburton or Mitchell along with a starter and pick, thats the price. He is an All-star and All-Defensive team selection with versatility. Ya gotta bet big to win big.
I think Hali is the one guy that I really don’t want to move it there was a package for Simmons. He complements Simmons very well, can help facilitate the offense, shoot from range, and looks to be a solid defender.
If Morey was insisting on either of Fox or Hali being included, put me in the camp of moving Fox.
Same here. I think Haliburton is just barely scratching the surface of how good he can be and his intelligence level is so high I think he will be part of some very good basketball teams in his career. Fox might be a good stats bad team guy. Mitchell also looks to me like someone who will impact winning at pretty high level at some point. If the trade were Fox for Simmons straight up I’m not sure the Kings wouldn’t immediately be in a better situation going forward. A starting lineup with Mitchell, Hali, Barnes, Simmons and Holmes would be a nightmare to score against.
That is why I like a Hali, Buddy, Barnes, Simmons, Holmes lineup. That’s potentially three 40% shooters from deep around Simmons and Holmes.
Agreed Adam. I think that is a lineup that maximizes Buddy, which we dont do know.
Yeah Simmons, Hali, Mitchell is a much more balanced ballhandling rotation than Fox, Simmons, Mitchell.
I’m not saying I’d trade Fox for Ben, but the fit with those two together plus a non-stretch 5 in Holmes is rough.
I’m right there with you.
Good luck with going through the divorce, Marty.
If only we still had the Jack Cooley trade chip. Fricking Vlade
Or Papagiannis.
Embiid and Papagiannis would’ve averaged a combined 28.5 ppg!
I am so down for the drama marriage of Simmons and KANGZ.
They truly deserve each other. Do it, Morey, punish him by sending him to the one California team he doesn’t want to go to.
(((((agree))))
Wouldn’t mind seeing Poor Paul.
WOW! That is some next level leveraging by Rich Paul
ding ding ding
Yeah, and Maxey seems pretty happy in Philly, don’t see how moving him from a perennial playoff team helps him in any way. Agents always trying to stir some shit.
This might make some folks upset, but if Monte is really high on Mitchell, what would be stopping him from moving Fox? I have to say a lineup of Mitchell, Buddy, Hali, Simmons, Holmes does intrigue me. Even better would might be Hali, Buddy, Barnes, Simmons, Holmes.
To me it seems logical to surround Simmons with shooters, and Fox isn’t one.
Honestly, after we drafted Mitchell this was my first thought. I think maybe Fox is more on the block than we think.
Fox is on the block for sure IMO
That second line up sounds good to me. Perhaps Mitchell turns out to be a starter quality PG in a year or two, and then Buddy and Barnes are nearing the end of their contract and we can flip them for younger players. As much as I love DeAaron, I would do a straight up swap.
The defensive potential of Mitchell and Simmons is extremely fun to think about.
My take as well. As much as I love Fox, Fox for Simmons straight up makes the most sense. You put Mitchell’s defense in the starting lineup then add Simmons, along with Barnes and Holmes. Now we have a string defensive team with that lineup while keeping Buddy’s elite shooting. With a Fox + Simmons lineup, you have a bit of a redundant product – 2 ball dominant cutting guards who aren’t really elite at the 3.
A Fox deal is the cleanest and doesn’t strip the Kings of their already shallow depth quality. It also doesn’t empty the cupboard of future assets in case Simmons doesn’t pan out for the Kings.
Id be down but not as a 2 player swap they are getting the younger better player and would then have to send a young player along, maybe Fox, Bagley, buddy for Maxey and Simmons and Thybulle
OMG! Simmons, Thybulle Hali, Mitchell, Holmesl!!!!!!!
I’m not sure how reasonable it is to believe Mitchell will be a better shooter or scorer than Fox. And I think if Fox were on the table for Simmons, the deal would already be done.
Yeah, I don’t understand the trade Fox argument at all.
Agreed. Fox is a guy who can get to the rim/free throw line at will, and that’s with his three-point shooting being below-average. Mitchell has similar speed, but doesn’t have Fox’s length, and his mysterious issues from the line make him a much-less reliable scoring option than Fox.
Simmons is a unique talent, but with his quickness & speed, so is Fox. I do believed that by the end of their career’s, Fox will be considered the better player, unless Simmons becomes an average shooter, and that’s assuming that Fox’s defense and three-point shooting don’t improve at all.
Not upset. Leadership is important and we’ve seen it in Hali’s first year. I haven’t seen much of it from Fox.
But Philly will also want Buddy. So Simmons for Fox and Hield will only happen if they could add another asset (pick) or another starter (Harris?)
Besides, Fox is valued more than Simmons at the moment.
How do you know Philly wants Buddy?
Their single-biggest deficiency is shooting. Hield has an elite resume as a shooter.
Common sense and proper player evaluations.
Fox > Simmons.
Philly also lost more leverage by waiting too long and now Simmons has publicly demanded a trade and is refusing to go to training camp.
I’m sorry, but Simmons is the better overall basketball player. He’s an all-star and DPOY candidate and high IQ player. Fox is the high scorer on a very bad team who depends on his athleticism to beats his opponents.
You can be sorry if you want but Simmons is not as good as Fox is now and Fox has gotten better every year while Simmons has somewhat peaked and has not improved over the last two years (but that is fine as long as he isn’t asked to carry a team). According to the Athletic, the rest of league execs also believe that Fox is the superior player between the two. I’d argue that Monte also believes Fox is the better of the two or he would have completed a trade by now.
I like Simmons a lot (even if he never improves from where he currently is as a player) and I think he fits well with what the Kings are doing with Fox as the point man. If you are swapping the two, then the Kings would be giving up the better, younger player.
You can bring up Eastern Conf All-Stars as if that means something and I’ll continue to harumph at that argument. Fox is a two-time All-Star if he were in the Eastern Conf the last 2 years. Fox is one of the leagues best closers and continues to improve while being BOTH a facilitator and a threat to score. I do not believe your best player can be as one-dimensional as Simmons is and still have a chance to succeed.
I agree with this line of thinking. We undervalue Fox a little bit. He averaged 25 and 7 last year and is still improving. He also is one of the elite finishers driving to the rim at I think around a 70% FG percentage. His jumper just needs to be good enough to be respected. If his three point percentage can consistently stay above league average he can basically be unguardable with his speed. Watch the JJ Reddick podcast with Hali where they say the same things. Our front offices have been hot garbage at building teams and we are waiting for the next coming of Jesus to end our playoff drought and overcome that very major limiter to our success. I have seen him trashed so much on this site in favor of PGs like Young and Morant even though they were drafted to much more competent organizations that both put the right coaching staff in place and could piece together a roster that actually makes sense in support of their star player.
Talk that shit!! And 1!!!!!
I’m in between on Simmons vs Fox, except to say Simmons value is depressed right now, and there’s some chance it may never recover. If Fox can improve his shooting just a little, his game changes pretty dramatically.
Not a perfect comparison with Fox, but Gerald Wallace was almost all athleticism, and he was good through age 29. Fox is just shy of 24, so even if nothing changes, it’s reasonable to think he can be good for at least five more seasons.
Good god. “Fox is only good because of his incredible athleticism.”
Even if that’s all there was to it, that’s hardly a con when making a list of them.
I`m just guessing here, but he would chose 3 California teams, just not Sactown?
There is no way he is choosing Sacramento over any of the other California teams lol…..right?
With Simmons and Fox on the floor in crunch time, we’ll get to relive Game 7 all over again, night after night.
Dick Bavetta is retired, though!
Yes, but if there’s one thing the NBA is not short on, it’s “fixer refs” to get outcomes favorable to the league.
Dammit.
Of course, there’s also a much better chance we actually get to a meaningful game 7.
I’m not sure if we have the talent in the locker room to withstand the cancer of an angry Simmons, after seeing how ugly he can get on a winning team. I say that because I simply can’t believe that he’d be excited to leave Philly in order to come to a perennial bottom-dweller that “might” be able to compete for play-in spot by adding him.
I think its more that he feels scapegoated and disrespected to have the series loss thrown at his feet by the teams best player and coach. That was so shocking when it happened and there is no coming back from that.
What?
Unless I am mistaken, he was a good soldier until the end, willing to sacrifice his game for the team and Embiid (too much, I guess). Only when his teammate and coach threw him very publicly under the bus after the play-offs ouster did things change, and even then he stayed quiet for quite some time.
That’s pretty much how it’s seemed to me, too. He’s struggled with his confidence, which is a huge problem, but I don’t recall hearing about him being disruptive, having attitude problems, or anything like that.
I think that he could remain in Philadelphia and still be an important cog in their success, but with his agent really shoving a wedge between him and the team, I’m not sure what Morey, Rivers, and his teammates can do to overcome it.
It all works in the Kings’ favor, but with Paul in the mix, you’d have the constant worry that Simmons was just one slight (perceived or otherwise) away before he’s agitating his way out of here, or anywhere else. You don’t pass on a fair deal to acquire him because of that factor, but it would make his new team pretty uneasy.
LOL
Superteam, Just Point Guards (+ Richaun)
Fox
Mitchell
Haliburton
Simmons
Holmes
Everyone pass the ball to Richaun for the unstoppable Push-Shot.
NBA four point (guards) oh.
Philly: Buddy, Barnes, two top 5 protected firsts.
Kangz: Simmons, Maxey.
If you acquire Simmons, what position does he play? Is he your starting point guard, or do you try him in more of a passing big role? How does this change if Fox is sent out?
I’d start him at the 4 and use him like the Warriors use Green. Hand Hali the keys, park Buddy and Barnes on the perimeter.
That’s always been my assumption as well.
Yeah, he defends the opponents best forward and you run a shit ton of Hali/Ben PnRs.
Cue up Peaches and Herb!
“Re-united and it feels so good…”
“Peaches and Superb”
I said “Peaches and Herb,” not “Peaches and Serb!”
Give that peach a french lick!
flagged for filthiness
I don’t think we land Simmons. I think this is put out there to get more trade talk for Daryl to sift through and land something else. I don’t think he wants our pupu platter of crap unless Fox or Hali are attached. Unless Fox is included, pretty sure Simmons ends up anywhere but here.
The implied probability of this happening according to those odds:
Kings 26%
Warriors 15%
Portland 10%
Does it increase if Philly wants to stick it to Simmons?
Still would prefer Siakam
Cool, I’ll take KD.
kings would suddenly be a good defensive team. I don’t want to create rumors surrounding Fox, but Philly has already said that’s who they want. So I’d consider a Fox for Simmons deal. Maybe throw in Bagley and get a backup pg in return.
Fox for Simmons in a heartbeat.It would completely change the team to a more defensive minded team which would be a refreshing change. Fox can’t get around a screen to save his life. Make the big move McNair !
I’m not doing a Fox or Haliburton for Simmons deal. But that’s me, I’m clearly not in the majority on that one.
My deal is either Buddy Hield or Harrison Barnes and Marvin Bagley plus 2 FRP’s lightly protected (top 5 in 2022 and 2024).
Ben Simmons is worth 146,840,160 just in his actual deal. He also has a 15% trade kicker, and if he’s traded before the season, that raises his contract to 168,842,784. That’s 4 and nearly 170 for a guy who can’t shoot the ball outside of the lane at a high rate.
I’m not trading De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton (and a Haliburton plus Hield or Barnes trade does not work straight up as a primary deal from a financial standpoint so someone like Bagley or Thompson would have to be included).
So like I said, my best offer is Barnes, Bagley and the 2 FRP’s for Simmons. That’s not necessarily going to be what Philly wants, but I doubt Minnesota can come up with a player that they can put in their starting lineup now better than Barnes. Same issue with Golden State. I don’t see San Antonio’s package being that good, either.
It’s possible I’m wrong, I’ve been wrong before. It’s also possible I’m right. Rich Paul can play his monkey games all he wants, so can the Sixers. But really, the longer they hold on to Simmons the longer this nonsense goes. I get the feeling that most of Paul’s messaging isn’t necessarily aimed at Daryl Morey but rather Philly’s ownership who thinks they can hang on until the appropriate deal comes along.
There’s a lot of factors here that effect deals, and one of them is that Simmons is probably overpaid for what he does and will cost a lot to acquire both in price and in terms of acquisition cost. If I’m the Kings, I know it’s tricky building a roster that includes Simmons on it given his shooting deficiencies. Yes, you would want Ben Simmons but at all costs? That’s where I get off the bus.
The last point I guess to make is if that Fox or Haliburton were actually seriously on the table, I think Morey agrees to that and so does Sixer ownership. But right now that isn’t on the table nor should it be from Sacramento’s POV IMO. There’s a blinking contest going on, and we’ll see if a stupid James Harden like deal happens (from say Minnesota especially). If that happens, that happens. Let the Wolves do that if they are that desperate is my thought. But….Sacramento shouldn’t be.
I always thought a deal would heat up about now, and would likely be finished in about 2 weeks from now. Based on how the rumors are suddenly flying, perhaps Rich Paul is looking to speed that up to the end of this week.
I’m with you. Keep fox and haliburton.
I think simmons won’t work on every team. Maybe the Kings, maybe not?
He’s a prima donna. should not have been rookie of the year.
I doubt Morey is waiting for McNair to blink. He’s waiting for Vivek to blink.
I agree. I’m not dead set against including one of those guys, but I would really, really rather not. It feels like a lot to give up Fox or Halliburton for a guy with Simmons deficiencies (and considerable skills as well).
I’m not high on Barnes, but losing him does create a roster hole that I think you need to fill, but that’s something you can deal with later.
You and I have disagreed alot over the last year, but I’m not totally opposed to Buddy Hield being the SF. It’s not ideal, you’ll lose at least 22 maybe even 25 of those matchup’s from a 1v1 standpoint. But I think what you make up in being a very fast, very difficult to guard team on the offensive end mitigates a lot of it.
I also would be willing to move Hield instead of Barnes, I just don’t see the Sixers preferring Hield to Barnes.
It’s not unprecedented for a bad defender’s numbers to get better when surrounded by a better defensive team, and that could be the case with Buddy. I still think you need some size there, but I don’t think you necessarily need a star if Barnes goes out in trade and Simmons comes back. Someone better than Mo Harkless probably gets the job done.
Like, say…the reigning MVP?
I think you could use Harkless more in some matchup’s, but I think the idea is to make it difficult to keep certain guys on the floor and force bad teams to adjust.
You don’t put a worse player on the floor because he fits a certain type of player you would rather have on the floor. I think you put your best starting 5 positions be damned, that includes Buddy Hield in that scenario IMO.
I think we will miss Buddy’s gravity more than anything. He is the only player outside of Fox that other teams scheme against. I wish we had a roster construction that could utilize him more, but he is also a good asset to find a good to great player.
I’m pretty down on Buddy. He seems pretty one dimensional to me, but he doesn’t know it, and the coaches don’t act like it. Maybe an overstatement, but it seems like much of the time, if Buddy isn’t shooting, he’s killing you on the floor. He might be the 5th (or whatever) best player on the Kings, but that’s not saying much. I don’t think he’s really any better than Seth Curry, except that he’s generally healthier.
But yeah, Buddy is easier to hide on a team with Mitchell and Simmons, and I think Halliburton turns into a decent defender on IQ and effort. I still think you need a wing with some size and more talent than Mo Harkless, for defensive reasons, if nothing else.
Just curious here, what about the reverse scenario? Are we at risk of turning a great defender into an average one or worse by surrounding him with our defensive ‘talent’ ? ‘defensive’ talent?
He can waive the trade kicker.
Of course he could. Why would he? That’s 22 million coming his way. He doesn’t need to waive the bonus to facilitate a deal.
y’all are on dust if you want to keep Mitchell over Simmons. Mitchell plus a first and buddy and Bagley. Let’s go .
I’m probably in the minority here, but I wouldn’t just give up Fox or Hali forSimmons. His contract is too high. Fox will probably average 25 PPG this year. I think Haliburton will average 18 points and 8 assists. Don’t want to lose Barnes. He’s by far our best SF and a serviceable PF for small ball lineups. I’d lowball a package of Bagley, Davis, and a top 5 protected pick. Kings don’t have to be desperate. It’s not like a 16th year missing the playoffs makes a big difference. A lot of our stars are young and going to get better. I’d rather watch their growth.
I would like to believe it, but I don’t think we have the best package. Indy and Minny both have more established role players although a trade of Buddy/Barnes/Bags and an FRP or two is a pretty good return for Ben. I would try to retain Barnes, but if he puts the trade through, so be it.
Kings need to remain patient here. The pressure is mounting on the Sixers. I would LOVE to have Simmons if we can build a trade around Buddy, Barnes, and some draft picks. I might be willing to include Bagley, BUT I think Bagley and Simmons would fit nicely together with their yin and yang strengths, so I would be hesitant, but not a deal breaker. McNair really needs to really hit home how Buddy and Barnes are ready NOW to help Embiid, not in 2 or 3 years….NOW, and for 3 or 4 more years. The draft picks would just be additional opportunities for them to find matching pieces.
Heh. Smash them together and they’re a complete basketball player! One can’t do anything but shoot and the other one can do everything except shoot. 😉
But both have poisonous, prima donna personalities. What a Frankenstein monster.
This is my biggest problem with Simmons. Just like with Bagley, I just don’t like the guy.
He should not have been rookie of the year. Donovan was the ROY. Simmons acted like such a bitch. Just don’t like him.
This narrative about Simmons being some sort of lockerroom cancer is really some out-of-the-blue shit. He’s seemed to me to be largely acquiescent to what’s best for his team, and frankly, probably too deferential in certain ways. A guy with his talent, but with a more confident and dominant personality type is the best scenario, so if anything, this talk about him being a prima donna really feels like a narrative being pushed.
I’m ambivalent about a trade, depending on the details, but my concern with his presence in Sacramento is more about his passivity than his purported attitude.
And his shooting. Too huge to be overlooked.
I’m fine with getting Simmons, but I think I like the idea of being a third or fourth team to help facilitate a Minnesota or golden state trade better. If the front office can swing getting Jaden McDaniels from the wolves or kuminga from the warriors for hield, bagley, or a lottery protected first, that’s a win in my book.
Offer Fox and call it a day. Hold them on the wire for Maxey too. I love it.
I love Hali/Mitchell/Simmons/Barnes/Holmes
Badge Legend