Ben Simmons is a wanted man; the list of teams that have been rumored to make inquiries for the 25-year-old are the Timberwolves, Raptors, Cavaliers, Pacers, and Spurs. Despite playing a down year last year for the Sixers, Simmons is still viewed as a hot commodity even though he struggled during the postseason becoming the worst free-throw shooter in postseason history with at least 67 attempts (34.2%).
Simmons during the offseason was heavily criticized by Doc Rivers for not working on his game flaws and this has led to a trade request for Simmons who has been with the Sixers for 4 years.
According to reports, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated that Simmons is on the radar of one more team, “I know of at least one other team who is a small-market team that has made an offer for him and has a lot of interest in him. It just hasn’t gotten public yet.”
Small- Market team interested in Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives between John Collins #20 and Clint Capela #15 of the Atlanta Hawks (Getty)
Rumors have it that the Portland Trailblazers would trade for Simmons, but that may not be a desired destination for the Australian American, rather the Sixers are using him as bait to get Damian Lillard. Although to many pundits a move to Portland would not be beneficial for either the player or the team.
Yahoo Sports’ Adam Hermann analyzed the Brian Windhorst rumor and is using his best senses to determine that the small- market team in question could be The New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans could lose Zion Williamson and are looking for a player of star power and Ben Simmons could fit the mold.
Hermann believes if the Pelicans offer Devonte Graham, Josh Hart, Jaxson Hayes, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker plus a pick for Simmons, the deal could get done. Simmons was the NBA’s steal leader in 2020, an All-Star in the past three seasons (2019-2021), the NBA Rookie of the year in 2018, and 2-time all-defensive first team in the NBA in 2020 and 2021.
