The Philadelphia 76ers and disgruntled star Ben Simmons are in a standoff as training camp looms and Simmons’ trade-request and holdout drama grows.
This situation has been fluid since Simmons went public in late August. The Sixers have been trying to contain the drama while seeking the right value for him. They were hoping to remain patient and see if Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal would shake free as the season wore on, but they appear to not have that luxury anymore.
Therefore, it might be time to just settle for the best deal possible. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reports the Portland Trail Blazers have been discussing internally a deal for Simmons, and they are beginning to put together an offer:
The Portland Trail Blazers, from what I’m told, obviously, they’re talking about C.J. McCollum. They’re talking about Robert Covington, they’re talking about a couple of first-round picks, they don’t want to put it out there because you don’t want to alienate C.J. McCollum in the event that you keep him, but nevertheless, is something that they’ve been willing to offer. The Sixers have not been willing to buy right now. The Sixers are holding their feet to the fire, because they don’t want to give in and cave in, and set a bad precedent by moving somebody who makes a demand to be moved when he still has four years left on his contract. That is the situation going on with the Philadelphia 76ers right now.
The Sixers will have to exhaust all options when it comes to Simmons at this point. Training camp begins on Tuesday and the 25-year-old promises not to be there. Bringing in McCollum is not the worst result in the world, and Covington is a proven 3-and-D player who has playing in Philadelphia before.
At this point, president Daryl Morey might have to settle just to avoid the continued drama that Simmons has brought.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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