Ben Simmons informed the Philadelphia 76ers recently that he wants a trade, and apparently the former first overall pick does not care where he ends up.
Simmons reportedly met with the Sixers’ brass last week and informed them that he does not intend to show up to training camp. There has been talk that he wants to play for a West Coast team, but Chris Broussard of FOX Sports said Wednesday that he was told by a well-informed source that Simmons’ only priority is getting out of Philly.
According to Broussard, Simmons is “willing to go play anywhere, for any of the other 29 teams.”
"I was told Ben Simmons is willing to go play anywhere, for any of the other 29 teams, except for the Philadelphia 76ers." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/AuG8PbRNky
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) September 1, 2021
Simmons does not have a no-trade clause, so he really has no control over where he ends up. He can certainly threaten to become a headache with a specific team if he doesn’t want to play there, but it would make sense for his top priority to be a fresh start.
The 76ers want to trade Simmons, but they have attached a very high asking price to the 25-year-old. Reports about Simmons having no intention of showing up to training camp only weaken Philly’s stance, as they show interested teams that a trade is inevitable. For now, the 76ers appear to be intent on getting maximum value in return. That could change as the offseason progresses.
