Sixers

Brian Windhorst: Ben Simmons Doesn’t Think it’s His Job to “Fix his Trade Value”

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Sep 8th, 2021 · 3:54 PM EDT

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Let’s get it back to the messy Ben Simmons situation.

As it CURRENTLY STANDS, we have been led to believe that Simmons wants out of Philadelphia and will not be showing up to training camp. The relationship is pretty much shot and Daryl Morey needs to work a trade. Allegedly.

Now there’s this from Brian “Windy” Windhorst, on the communication between Ben and the team, or lack thereof:

“One of the messages Ben [Simmons] has sent back to towards Philly is that it’s not his job to fix his trade value…”

-ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on the Jump regarding Ben Simmons and the Sixers pic.twitter.com/6Y0d4YbBcX

— Marc Farzetta (@MarcFarzetta) September 8, 2021

This is at least somewhat intriguing, because the idea of trade value is arbitrary. Is Ben’s trade value low? Or is Daryl Morey’s asking price too high?

Depends who you ask!

The general thought is that a player hurts his own trade value when he says he’s going to sit out and refuse to report to camp. There’s the idea that he can play that value back up by going out on the floor and beating up on some cupcakes and showing everybody what he has. Maybe that’s the case with Ben, or maybe not. There could be other General Managers out there who think much more highly of Simmons than the average Philly sports fan or writer.

I maintain that this is less about the Sixers and more about the rest of the NBA. You can’t just move Ben Simmons without a willing participant. If Damian Lillard doesn’t want to leave Portland, then guess what? No Dame trade. Same with Bradley Beal. So the Sixers need a domino to fall here, and that domino might not fall until training camp or the regular season begins.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.