Ben Simmons has not yet suited up for the Philadelphia 76ers this season, as he’s been choosing to sit out for personal reasons due to mental health.
Ever since the playoffs ended last year, the relationship between Simmons and the Sixers has continued to deteriorate. At this point, the likely truth is that it’s no longer salvageable.
While the 76ers remain hopeful that Simmons will one day don a Philadelphia jersey, most people from Simmons’ camp are adamant that he is no longer interested in ever being a part of the organization.
NBA Rumors: The Philadelphia 76ers want to trade Tobias Harris, in addition to Ben Simmons
On top of all of that, NBA rumors state that the Philadelphia 76ers are now interested in trading power forward Tobias Harris as well, ahead of the February 10 deadline.
Right now, Harris makes more money than anyone on the roster and is under contract for the next two years after this one. He is owed over $115 million in guaranteed money in the next two and a half seasons.
The 76ers want to get off of that contract, too, thus opening up more space to build around solely Joel Embiid. Harris’ contract is now widely viewed as one of the most questionable in the league.
NBA Rumors: The Philadelphia 76ers are not interested in John Collins, De’Aaron Fox, Russell Westbrook, or John Wall
In a recent Bleacher Report article, Eric Pincus detailed what the Philadelphia 76ers are thinking as the February 10 trade deadline rapidly approaches.
Pincus stated that the 76ers are still hoping to acquire one of their top trade targets (Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, Shai Gilegous-Alexander, etc.), and in turn, are not interested in “second-tier” players such as John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks.
There aren’t many teams that could take on the nearly $70 million in salary taken up by Simmons and Harris, but both the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets could get close by utilizing Russell Westbrook or John Wall, respectively.
However, Pincus reports that the Sixers aren’t interested in either of those players. They don’t want Westbrook or Wall and are still likely looking for other offers.
Plus, other recent NBA rumors revealed that the 76ers are not interested in De’Aaron Fox, either.
The Philadelphia 76ers organization is bordering on incompetence
This leads to one, simple conclusion – the Philadelphia 76ers are insane.
Daryl Morey wanting to trade for an All-Star is one thing, but the list of targets that continuously gets released isn’t made up of All-Stars – it’s made up of superstars and young, future superstars.
The fact that the Sixers are still convinced that they will be able to get a superstar in exchange for Ben Simmons, let alone Tobias Harris, is absolutely ridiculous.
Simmons hasn’t played once this year and the last time he did, he looked to cause more problems than solutions. That’s without even mentioning all the off-court drama and issues a team would be adding if they traded for him.
As for Harris, he’s having one of the worst years he’s had in a while, especially in comparison to the $41 million he’ll make in the final year of his contract. His value is in the dirt, too.
Yet, Morey and the 76ers continue to look away players such as John Collins, who’s a young, budding star that could legitimately help the Sixers, and both Russell Westbrook and John Wall, who would at least be on the court this season.
The longer the 76ers wait to make a deal, the worse off they will be in the end. Philadelphia is a mess, and at this point, it’s completely their own fault.