The NBA trade deadline arrives on February 10th and over the next 30 days, we are going to see a ton of trade rumors involving the Philadelphia 76ers and more specifically Ben Simmons. Even while the 76ers continue to say that their number one option is to convince Ben Simmons to return, that appears to be completely unrealistic.

While the 76ers say they want Simmons to rejoin the team, Marc Stein said the following today:

“One source close to the situation insisted to me over the weekend that the Sixers have little-to-no hope of success if their intent is to let the trade deadline pass without dealing Simmons and then try to lobby him to rejoin the squad for the regular season’s stretch run as well as the postseason.”

That being said, here’s a quick roundup of the latest rumors floating around the NBA in regards to Ben Simmons.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Brian Windhorst went on the The Scoop with Darren “Doogie” Wolfson and talked about the Minnesota Timberwolves trying to acquire Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers.

On the podcast, Windy said that from what he was told, the T-Wolves have offered pretty much every asset package they possible could to land Simmons. Don’t get too excited. When the Minnesota means, “every asset package” that does NOT include Anthony Edwards or Karl Anthony-Towns.

Outside of that, it does look like every player and every available draft pick was offered to Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers. Obviously, no trade has been made, so it looks like Morey and company aren’t really interested in making a trade with the T-Wolves.

I know it’s an unpopular opinion for a lot of Sixers fans, but I would seriously consider acquiring D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley if the T-Wolves have both of those players on the table. Russell is averaging 18.7 points per game this season, adding 3.8 rebounds per game and 6.9 assists per game.

Beasley is 25-years old and averaging 12.4 points per game with 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Adding both of those players and maybe a few draft picks works for me, but again, it doesn’t seem like Morey is interested any type of offer from Minnesota.

Sacramento Kings

There have been more than a few other rumors flying around, including the Sacramento Kings, who continue to prove they are a dumpster fire of a team this season. Sacramento has been in and out of Ben Simmons trade talks really since the start of the entire Ben Simmons saga.

The 76ers had talks with Sacramento last summer regarding De’Aaron Fox, but the Kings weren’t willing to move Fox or include him in any type of deal for Simmons. Over the past few weeks, it was reported that the Kings have softened their stance on what players would be available via trade.

Read More: Kings soften stance on player availability before the NBA trade deadline.

As I stated before, if the Kings are willing to unload some players, I think the Sixers would be better off focusing on a Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton trade and forget about De’Aaron Fox. The emergence of Tyrese Maxey and Seth Curry playing fantastic basketball lessens the need for Fox, but adding Hield and Haliburton would sure be interesting.

We all know how great of a perimeter shooter Buddy Hield is, and Haliburton is just 21-years old, averaging just over 13 points points per game, shooting 46 percent from the floor, 42 percent from three point range, and 81% from the free throw line. Haliburton is also averaging nearly seven assists per game and his ceiling is incredibly high.

Portland Trailblazers

The Trail Blazers are another team that has been heavily rumored as a potential suitor for Ben Simmons. Obviously, the 76ers would welcome Damian Lillard with open arms, but Dame himself has been adamant in staying in Portland.

Currently, Dame is dealing with an injury and won’t even be traveling with the Trail Blazers on their upcoming six game road trip. Chauncey Billups recently stated that it might be best for the team if Dame is shut down until he is 100% healthy.

Definitely something to keep an eye on as things continue to sour in Portland.

Atlanta Hawks

Outside of those two teams, Mark Stein reported last week that a dark horse team in a Ben Simmons trade could be the Hawks. Atlanta is currently 17-22 on the season and in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

According to Stein’s NBA sources, Atlanta could be interested in making a move to pair Ben Simmons with Trae Young. Obviously for Atlanta, that would be ideal. They could add an elite facilitator in Ben Simmons, as well as someone who could control the pace of the game.

However, if Morey and the 76ers organization aren’t interested in what the Minnesota Timberwolves have to offer, I really don’t see anyone on the Hawks pushing the needle either.

San Antonio Spurs

In my opinion, all focus from the Sixers organization should reside in San Antonio and acquiring Dejounte Murray from a Spurs team that is currently 15-24 and in 10th place in the Western Conference.

Last summer there were some rumblings about a possible Ben Simmons trade with the Spurs and more recently, there was a report that said Ben Simmons would “welcome” the idea of playing for Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

Dejounte Murray quite literally has shown improvement every season since he’s joined the league, and with that kind of curve who knows what heights he could reach on a team with title aspirations.

Murray came into the league as a defensive-first player with not great shooting splits. Since then he’s become one of the best mid range shooters in the league, hitting just about half his shots from 10-14 feet. On the year, Murray is averaging 18.3 points per game with 8.3 rebounds, and 9.0 assists.

After looking at the five teams above, it’s never been more clear that Dejounte Murray is the prized possession in the current rumblings regarding a Ben Simmons trade. If I was Daryl Morey, I would be calling every single day to see what it would take in getting a deal done over the next 30 days.

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