With the NBA season under two months away, and players soon to report to training camp, Ben Simmons has reportedly told the 76ers he will not report to camp. If true, this means a Ben Simmons trade will occur before the start of the season. With that news, the rumor mill has heated back up with many teams reportedly adjusting their interest level in a Ben Simmons trade. With that in mind, let’s see what each rumored destinations latest update is for a potential deal.

Sacramento Kings

Surprisingly, the Sacramento Kings have reportedly taken both De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton out of any deal for Ben Simmons. With Ben Simmons forcing a move out of Philadelphia, it comes as no shock that the Kings have lowered their price, as Ben’s trade stock has plummeted due to his decision. Now, if Daryl Morey and the 76ers front office don’t adjust their price on a Ben Simmons trade, a deal with the Sacramento Kings is now very unlikely.

Even with the asking price lowered, I still expect the Sixers to at least explore other teams before changing their price with the Kings. Unfortunately for 76ers fans, getting De’Aaron Fox is impossible now, and a deal with the Kings would likely revolve around Buddy Hield. Hield has been linked to the 76ers many times, but I still do not believe he would make enough of an impact on this teams championship aspirations. Yes I understand that getting a good return for a Ben Simmons trade is much more difficult now, but there are better options still out there.

Portland Trailblazers

With the recent Ben Simmons trade news, and no sign of Damian Lillard wanting out of Portland, the golden goose trade scenario involving Ben Simmons seems as good as dead. However, that doesn’t mean that the Trailblazers aren’t still interested in acquiring Simmons’ talents. In fact, it seems an unlikely candidate may be a big fan of adding Ben to Portland’s squad: Damian Lillard himself. Lillard was recently spotted liking a tweet with him and Simmons photoshopped in Blazers jerseys.

While this is purely just a like on Twitter, it isn’t a far fetched idea to say Dame and Ben may both be in Portland next season. Another target linked to the Sixers outside of the Lillard rumors was longtime sidekick Cj McCollum. With Ben Simmons’ trade value much lower, Daryl Morey might have to settle on a deal for the Blazers sharp shooter. This deal, however, is much similar to the Kings offer of Hield. I just do not believe a shooting guard can take this team over the hump compared to the help of a point guard. Regardless, Cj McCollum will stay linked to Philly with the recent news on a potential Ben Simmons trade.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves have long been linked to a Ben Simmons trade since Daryl Morey and the front office explored the idea. What stopped this deal is the same reason as the rest of the teams, a tall asking price from the 76ers. Now, that price is much lower thanks to the selfishness of Ben Simmons, the Timberwolves’ former offer may be enough to get a deal done.

Recently, Jon Krawczynski of the Athletic reported that the T-Wolves would be willing to move DeAngelo Russel in a potential Ben Simmons trade. Currently, Daryl Morey doesn’t believe a deal centered around Russel would be enough to move Simmons, but that could change. Personally, out of the deals discussed so far DeAngelo Russell and other assets is the best deal for Ben Simmons in a trade. Yes, Russell is a shot-heavy point guard, but a point guard at that. 76er fans have been screaming for years for Simmons to be more aggressive scoring, so why not get a guard that is?

Cleveland Cavaliers

Among the tirade of reports circling Ben Simmons and a potential trade, one report linked the 3x All-Star to the Cavaliers. Ironically, after stating he wants to play basketball in California over a month ago, a rumor circulated recently stating Simmons would welcome a deal to the Cavs. While this is a complete 180 from previous statements, Cleveland has been a team linked to a Ben Simmons trade over the summer alongside the previous teams mentioned.

While the Cavaliers have been very hesitant to pay guard Colin Sexton, I would be shocked if Cleveland offered him in a deal for Ben Simmons. While I do believe Colin Sexton could help push the 76ers over the hump thanks to his proficient scoring, I don’t see the Cavs moving him. Cleveland is looking to establish a young core, and if they dealt Sexton there is no real star to build around. Without Sexton, any deal the Cavs offer for Ben will be much too low of a price, even in the wake of Simmons demanding a trade.

Golden State Warriors

Finally, the odd-man out team of the bunch, the Warriors. Golden State is the only team out of the five I consider to have the team to make a deep playoff run next season if healthy. Despite that, the Warriors have been linked to a Ben Simmons trade for the majority of the summer. Talks between the two teams have stalled multiple times, and everyone on the Warriors outside of Steph Curry has come up in trade talks. With the new price damaged thanks to Simmons, potential packages from the Warriors are getting, low in value.

While I do believe Vegas knows much more about the world of sports than any of us could imagine, I can’t wrap my head around this one. Golden State won’t part ways with Steph or Klay in a Ben Simmons trade, their two cornerstone pieces of their franchise. That leaves Draymond Green, but a swap of those two makes little to no sense for either side thanks to similar playstyle. It is highly unlikely the Warriors would choose to move their picks from this years draft class now that those picks turned into players.

That leaves one, very scary option left. Andrew Wiggins. Out of all the potential deals being rumored, this one scares me the most. I am not shy when it comes to my opinion of Wiggins as one of the most overrated players in the league and would be a terrible Ben Simmons trade option. Not to mention, his fit on the current 76ers roster is just as bad if not worse than with Simmons. Unfortunately if Daryl wants to get a deal done with the Warriors, Wiggins is the only reasonable option as of now.

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