Not long ago, it sounded as if the chances of Ben Simmons being traded in the near future were increasing. That may not be the case anymore.
Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein noted that there was very little talk about Simmons when he attended the recent G League Showcase in Las Vegas. That is abnormal, Stein added, and suggests that right now teams are more focused on other things than trade talks.
“I have to say, just having spent three days in the gym with lots of NBA executives, I heard so little about Ben Simmons in Vegas. Just remarkably little,” Stein said on his Spotify Greenroom podcast, via Ky Carlin of Yahoo Sports. “That just illustrates, to me, just what a secondary thing trade pursuits are at the moment whereas normally, I think in that kind of environment, even if there was nothing happening with Ben, just kind of Ben predictions would have been flying around the gym and you just really didn’t get much of that.”
This doesn’t necessarily suggest that all Simmons trade talks have ground to a halt. The holidays, along with the rise in COVID cases across the league, are likely taking priority. That said, recent Simmons rumors have been a bit less solid, and suggests that there is nothing advanced going on with the disgruntled 76ers star.
Two weeks ago, there was talk that Simmons discussions were intensifying. That could happen again after the new year, but for now, it sounds like nothing is going to happen anytime soon.
Photo: Jan 30, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) talks to fans before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
