At least one team is tired of going back and forth with the Philadelphia 76ers regarding Ben Simmons.
Simmons and the Sixers have been locked in a brutal stalemate for months. He refuses to play another game for the organization (no matter how much money it costs him); the front office is unwilling to deal him for anything less than the stated asking price.
Hence the stalemate.
Last week, it looked like progress would finally be made when one team got as far as anyone had up to this point in negotiations with the Sixers. Then it all fell apart.
“The Sacramento Kings – one of the most aggressive teams in the market and once an eager suitor for Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons – have ended pursuit of a deal with the 76ers and turned elsewhere in trade talks,” ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday.
“Inside of two weeks until the February 10 NBA trade deadline, the Kings believe the asking price for Simmons is too steep and that a pathway to reaching an agreement with the Sixers doesn’t exist, sources said.”
And so the saga continues.
The Kings aren’t the only team that got tired of haggling with Philly. One other squad famously hung up the phone on them over how negotiations had progressed up to that point.
Where Simmons and the Sixers go from here is unclear. The window to get something done appears to rapidly be closing.
Yikes. https://t.co/Ve31du0dAZ
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 28, 2022
By all accounts, the 76ers’ front office has a new plan when it comes to this whole saga – but it remains unclear how that will ultimately work out for them. Simmons, meanwhile, has two teams he’d prefer to end up with, but nobody cares what he wants at this juncture.
Buckle up – this promise to be an interesting next couple of weeks.
Related: Lakers’ Newest Buddy Hield Trade Offer To Kings
Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
