The Philadelphia 76ers have yet to commit to trading Ben Simmons, so it’s tough to determine which teams have a realistic chance of landing him. One, however, might have a better chance than the chatter would indicate.
In an appearance on “The Jump” Friday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested that the Indiana Pacers are a “sleeper” in Simmons rumors. Windhorst believes Simmons is the type of player the Pacers might want to acquire, and that they could put together a strong package that could entice the Sixers.
“I think the sleeper team in this whole situation is the Indiana Pacers,” Windhorst said. “First off, I know that they don’t have an All-NBA player to trade, but they have a bunch of really good players, and … they control all of their picks.
“Kevin Pritchard likes to trade for guys who are under contract. They know that they’re never going to be a free agent destination. … They love the idea of being able to trade for a player like Ben Simmons who they would have team control over.”
Windhorst added that the Pacers could “put together an offer that few teams could rival” and are essentially waiting for the 76ers to come to terms with the reality of the Simmons situation.
Interestingly, it was reported several months ago that the Pacers had made an aggressive offer for Simmons but were turned down. Since then, the situation has largely been a stalemate between Simmons and the 76ers, and it’s clearly not getting any better. That may inspire the Pacers to test Philadelphia’s resolve again soon.
