The Sixers have made it clear that their intention is to trade Ben Simmons, and by all accounts, Simmons is prepared and willing to move on.
These two parties may be aligned, but the trick now is to find a partner willing to make a trade, and that trade is going to come at a huge cost if recent reports are any indication. According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Golden State Warriors rejected an offer of Simmons for a massive haul in exchange.
The Sixers have made their massive asking price for Ben Simmons clear after the Golden State Warriors rejected this NBA trade offer.
Reportedly, the Sixers asked for Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman and four first-round picks. It’s safe to say that Golden State’s seventh and 14th picks in Thursday’s draft were two of those four requested picks.
Wiseman was the second overall pick in last year’s draft and has the physical tools to be an excellent center when he matures, and that draft capital represents a significant investment. The Warriors weren’t willing to make this deal, even to help rid themselves of Wiggins (who was much better than expected last season, to be fair), so the Sixers are back to the drawing board.
They may want a trade package reminiscent of James Harden’s haul for the Houston Rockets in January, but those aren’t easy to come by. That is likely to be the going rate for anything close to a superstar or even a pretty good star going forward, considering the trade package for Jrue Holiday wasn’t that much worse than Harden’s.
The Sixers are going to have to either come down on their demands or include some positive assets themselves to get the ball rolling. After all, there’s a reason this team wants to move on from him, but everybody else watched him shrivel into a tiny ball and disappear in the NBA playoffs too. It’s not going to be easy to ask for a premium package after his performance against the Atlanta Hawks.
Will the Sixers deal with reality? Will somebody make a massive overpay? Just a few hours remain until the NBA draft begins and we get some clarity on the situation.