Despite their constant claims of wanting Ben Simmons to return, the Sixers are reportedly shopping their star to teams in the Western Conference.
The Ben Simmons trade drama continues as more reports break. While the Sixers claimed at their media day that they are hoping to convince Simmons to stay, the team continues to field calls. Not only that, but they appear to be narrowing down their calling list.
According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, the Sixers are targeting Western Conference teams when discussing potential Ben Simmons trade packages.
There have been plenty of rumors this offseason connecting Ben Simmons to teams in the Western Conference. From his desire to play for one of the “three” California teams, the Blazers’ reported interest, and of course, the Spurs who turned down an outrageous offer from Daryl Morey.
When a team is actively looking to trade a player out of conference, part of the rationale typically stems from a lack of desire to play them often. That doesn’t seem to be the case here, at least not the primary reason.
Ben Simmons seemingly would prefer to play out west. While he’s said he would play for any team but Philadelphia, however, much like for many in the 19th century, there seems to be more opportunity out west.
The Sixers aren’t likely to cave when it comes to any of Simmons’ demands, but speaking to his possible preferred locations can only help as long as the teams have the assets the 76ers are looking for.
There are quite a few teams in the Western Conference who could be interested and meet the Sixers asset requirements. Most of the conference, in fact, could be interested as Ben Simmons is an extremely desirable player. For any team looking to add Simmons, it all depends on the price.
