Ben Simmons is expected to be cleared to play by Friday, which is when the Philadelphia 76ers face the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. However, there is a bit of a mystery as to the game: Which team will Simmons play for?
The biggest soap opera of the NBA off-season has been Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons want out, the Sixers do not want to give him up because, they feel they won’t get value in return.
The latest twists happened this week as the team said it was putting his scheduled payment of $8.5 million of his salary in escrow, and drawing upon it to fine him for missing games. When the lawyers were consulted and told Simmons and his agent Rich Paul, that the Sixers were legally able to this this … well, Simmons attitude changed.
He showed up, unannounced, at the Wells Fargo Center, on Monday to get a COVID-19 test and start the five-day process of being cleared for action. Simmons’ stand he would never again for the 76ers lasted until he started losing money on the deal.
But, Simmons is still a very unhappy camper, and do the 76ers want him around all season? Now that they have proven their point, does Philly now ship Simmons out? The Detroit Pistons have been floated as a possible destination for the three-time NBA All-Star.
The Detroit Pistons are among the teams interested in Ben Simmons, per @JakeLFischer
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 13, 2021
“It's believed the Pistons would entertain moving Jerami Grant to acquire Simmons, yet it's hard to see the former Sam Hinkie draft pick definitively improving Philadelphia's title odds” pic.twitter.com/pToBaqPImm
The roadblock in any Simmons-to-Detroit deal was that the Pistons would have to give up Grant. With their salary structure this year, Grant is the only one who makes enough money to be close to matching Simmons salary in a trade.
It was thought that Grant was virtually untouchable. The man just won an Olympic gold medal, was second in voting for NBA Most Improved Player, was the Pistons leading scorer last season and took a chance signing with Detroit and leaving a contending Denver Nuggets squad.
But maybe the lure of getting a star (not superstar but really good) player like Simmons is enough to pry Grant loose.
Is Simmons better than Grant, probably, but the fit might not be. Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes were suppose to be the dual starting ball-handlers, If Simmons came, Cunningham would basically be a two-guard. Hayes, well, might as well trade him in the Simmons package. Do not need two guards who can’t shoot.
Of course, the other big question would be attitude. General manager Troy Weaver and coach Dwane Casey talk so much about high character and culture, you would think they are in charge of a Boy Scout troop, instead of an NBA team.
Simmons has acted like a whiny, privileged crybaby this summer, He is upset that he is being blamed for the 76ers shocking loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals (because he is a big reason they lost) and does not want to face the Philly fans after a disappointing end to the season (like in Game 7 passing up an uncontested dunks).
For a blue-collar fan base like Detroit, Simmons’ Mr. Softee act is not very inviting.
While Grant accepted a late invitation to play for Team USA in the Olympics, Simmons withdrew from playing for Australia in Tokyo because he wanted to ‘work on his skills and individual development’. Yeah, playing against Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant would not help his development, apparently.
The Pistons play the 76ers on the first day Simmons will be eligible to play. All he would have to do is change locker rooms if a trade was consummated.
Fischer reported that no trade seems imminent, but that can change quickly. Simmons for Grant plus more always seemed like an odd deal but Detroit’s name seems to consistently be thrown into the mix.