The Ben Simmons trade saga never seems to end, and this week a new team is reportedly interested in the Philadelphia 76ers forward.
On Wednesday, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported via his podcast that the New Orleans Pelicans are interested in trading draft picks for Simmons.
“I heard the Pelicans discussed trading future first-round picks and pick swaps with the 76ers for Ben Simmons, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto said.
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who joined Scotto on the podcast, chimed in that the 76ers aren’t currently looking to trade Simmons for anything less than a star player. That could make a Pelicans trade involving draft picks unlikely.
“They don’t have to move Ben just to move him and not waste a year of Embiid’s prime. They really believe that if they move Simmons for anything less than they value him, they’ll be sacrificing multiple years of Embiid’s prime for not maximizing Simmons as a trade asset,” Fischer said.
Simmons has yet to step on the court for Philadelphia this season, with reports indicating he no longer wants to play for the 76ers. However, when Simmons was playing, he was dominant.
Over four seasons in the NBA, Simmons has been named to three All-Star teams, one All-NBA team, two All-Defensive teams while averaging 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game for his career.
With Simmons’ absence, the 76ers have struggled to open the year, sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference with a record of 15-14. The Pelicans had started slow and toiled even more than their potential trade partner, sitting second bottom of the Western Conference with a 9-21 record.
