When word leaks out that a star player is available for trade, the first offers that usually come in are lowball — other GMs, playing the role of vulture, hoping they can pick off a star for next to nothing from a desperate GM.
Ben Simmons is available in a trade (even if Doc Rivers says he wants Simmons to stay).
One of the first rumors of a trade offer comes from Jason Dumas of Bleacher Report and KRON4 News in the Bay Area.
That pick would probably be Indiana’s No. 13 selection in the upcoming draft. It’s unlikely this was ever really a trade offer in the sense the GMs talked and this was on the table; it was likely more part of a conversation about a possible fit. A lot of teams are doing that right now.
Philadelphia is a title contender, with Joel Embiid playing at an MVP level in the paint and quality role players such as Tobias Harris and Seth Curry around him. Simmons is an All-Star and an elite defensive player — he has real value on the court even if his fit with Embiid is not smooth.
If the 76ers are going to trade Simmons, it will be in a deal that makes them better right now (at least on paper). Brogdon is a quality player, but that move does not make the Sixers better, and the 13th pick is not enough to change that equation.
The part of the report that the Sixers are fielding offers is undoubtedly true.
This is just the first raindrops in a storm of Simmons trade rumors we will hear in the run-up to the July 29 NBA Draft.
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Rumor: Sixers shot down Brogdon for Simmons trade offer from Pacers originally appeared on NBCSports.com