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The Philadelphia 76ers continue to be at the center of the NBA world, heading into the 2021-22 NBA season. Former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons is still on the roster with less than three weeks to go before the Sixers officially begin training camp.
In this episode of Sixers Daily, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst joined me to discuss the Simmons saga and where Philly’s president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand stand in negotiations with just over a month before the season tips off.
Windhorst believes history should be a good indication of how Morey approaches negotiations in any potential deal involving Simmons.
“You look at what Daryl Morey has done his whole career, he’s hunted stars. [James] Harden, [Dwight] Howard, Chris Paul, [Russell] Westbrook, he tried to trade for Harden again, he’s hunted stars, that’s what he wants, so that’s what he’s doing.
“I think a big thing for the Sixers fans to watch is the first week of October. Bradley Beal becomes eligible to sign an extension. There’s no short-term deadline on it, it’s not like a rookie extension, where you have to make the move by the end of October. He could theoretically sign an extension, June 30, 2022, but whether or not Beal signs that extension, I think as the season starts, and he hasn’t extended, I think that it frames the transaction game for the upcoming season. People are going to be watching like a hawk trying to pry Bradley Beal out and if he doesn’t extend, people are going to have their eyes on that and so if you’re the Sixers, unless somebody knocks you over with an offer, you’re probably waiting for that at the very least, just to see.
“Not that you could trade Simmons for Beal straight up, but it’s only responsible to wait for something like that.”
Windhorst also gave some insight into a bunch of other topics, including:
- Simmons’ trade value around the league.
- Why so many small-market teams are interested in acquiring Simmons.
- Why Morey can be patient in negotiations.
- Tyrese Maxey’s importance to the Sixers this season.
- Why things broke down between Simmons and the team following the Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
You can listen to the full episode below:
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