That's some weird logic. "Because we (Embiid) are doing very well, we don't need a great player in return from the trade." It's like saying, we are good enough, so we don't need to be better. LOL! Morey, I thought you've always said you are always looking at making the team better. Admit it. You just can't find a better buyer after hanging Simmons dry for so long.
Is there anyone in the entire NBA who believes any words coming our of this weasel's mouth? There is no "weird logic"... It's all manipulative attempts and weasel-speak
I can't imagine Morey sitting at the trade deadline and not moving Simmons. Embiid is not Harden. He's a big man, in the midst of his prime and in his best year by far (likely to win MVP). Big men of Embiid's size struggle to stay healthy, and he has an injury history. These years are precious and cannot be wasted stubbornly holding out for an amazing trade. If Morey doesn't improve the roster, they will lose in the first or second round. Morey knows that. Offseason trades can be slower and less attractive than trade deadline deals, because teams by then can overestimate their offseason moves, they have other options (the draft, free agency) for improving without giving up the farm, and because players who demands out or become discontent tend to move in-season vs. in the offseason. This is all jockeying as far as I can tell, and the reports about wanting to include Tobias in the deals makes total sense. The most attractive trade pieces out there are PFs, but he's straddled with an underperforming player in Tobias. Take on the poison pill of Tobias in order to reap the reward of Simmons. Sixers improve their PF play but take a hit at guard. The aggregate return evens out. I think that's what he's going for, which only happens with 3+ teams involved.
oh i can imagine it! definitely 100% btw even if they move him they aint winning nothing with embiied even if they get lebron for BS they better sell the house now, ship embiid and start another 5 year tank
Make sense. Each yr that goes by is a season lost. Wall, Gordon and a #1 for Simmons, Thybule and fillers is possible.
My stance on Simmons hasn't changed. Don't want a quitter on the team. Varying degrees: * CWood refusing to sub in. KPJ driving off after 2nd half. They apologized, and team forgave. At least both sides tried to move on. Personally speaking, they're still on my bad side. Really soured on both guys after this. Could be an omen of more things to come, but whatever, they're playing better and maybe with time they get our good graces again. Up a few levels and you get * TMac quitting on Rockets in the playoff or a Scottie Quitten. Then.. * Comparing CWood/KPJ quitting half a game versus Simmons quitting half a season. It's no comparison. I don't want a quitter on our team.
With the NBA trade deadline just over two weeks away, rival teams interested in three-time All-Star Ben Simmons believe Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has his sights set on a bigger target in the summertime: Brooklyn Nets star James Harden. The 76ers continue to engage in trade talks around Simmons, who requested a trade and informed the franchise in October that he is not mentally ready to play again for the franchise and needs professional help for his mental health. But multiple sources, including people with direct knowledge of the team’s thinking and also from rival teams involved on the Simmons front, tell The Athletic that the 76ers are believed to prefer to wait in order to pursue Harden or another superstar in the offseason and thus want to save Simmons for that potential sign-and-trade rather than take what’s available on the current market. Unless Philadelphia is blown away at the deadline by a team that significantly improves its current best offer, in other words, the standstill between Simmons and the Sixers will continue past the deadline. There’s belief that the offers currently available would be there in the offseason too, but what may not be, if a Simmons deal is completed now, is a shot at a star like Harden. Simmons entered this season with four years and $147 million remaining on his maximum contract. Sacramento and Atlanta have been among the most engaged recently in talks on Simmons, sources said, but team officials with those organizations doubt the 76ers will lower the price threshold for Simmons before Feb. 10. Between now and Feb. 10, the 76ers will continue taking calls and examining potential framework of offers presented to them. The Charlotte Hornets have been among new teams placing a Simmons inquiry to the 76ers, but there’s been nothing substantive, sources said. In return for Simmons, the 76ers have wanted a top-level All-Star or a package featuring a bevy of first-round draft picks for Simmons. For Simmons, the 76ers have asked the Kings for guard Tyrese Haliburton and multiple first-round picks, and asked for a package around John Collins and multiple first-round picks from the Hawks along with Atlanta taking on Tobias Harris, multiple sources tell The Athletic. The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the Kings do not plan to move De’Aaron Fox or Haliburton and want to build around them. Over the past seven months, the 76ers have discussed deals around players like Fox, Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis and Toronto’s Pascal Siakam, but organizationally they have felt that those players were not championship-altering, perfect fits on the roster. The 76ers believe in Tyrese Maxey’s long-term ability at point guard, have Harris as their starting power forward and Joel Embiid manning the center position. The notion of Morey holding out hope for a Harden reunion should surprise no one who saw them thrive together during those eight seasons together in Houston. It wasn’t just the on-court success that created their bond, though the perennial playoff appearances (including two Western Conference Finals) didn’t hurt. It was the way Morey empowered Harden like never before, hiring a coach in Mike D’Antoni whose system played so wonderfully to his strengths and building the roster around him throughout. And after Morey’s failed attempt to pull it off last summer, when a deal that would have sent Simmons to the Rockets was real enough that the Sixers point guard even started shopping for homes in the Houston area, it makes perfect sense that Morey would want to go down this familiar road again. Especially considering the reality that he’s never played with a big man as dynamic and dominant as Embiid. The Rockets moved Harden to the Nets a year ago, deciding between offers from Brooklyn and Philadelphia. The 76ers were close to acquiring Harden, proposing Simmons, Matisse Thybulle and two first-round picks. With both final offers in hand on the morning of Jan. 13, 2021, sources say Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta approached Harden about which destination he preferred: Brooklyn or Philadelphia. The choice was his – sort of. Harden chose Brooklyn, but it remains unclear whether Fertitta would have been willing to follow through on the Sixers deal if Harden had opted for Philadelphia. At the time, sources say, the Rockets also strongly preferred the Nets proposal. The Sixers were unsure at the time if they were truly in the running, as Morey had abruptly resigned from the Rockets less than three months before and landed with the Sixers just two weeks later. They feared the personal dynamics relating to their recent history would play a part in the Rockets’ final choice, though Rockets officials have denied that was the case. There was a sense of relief from Fertitta, sources say, that Harden had picked the Nets. It made the deal that much easier and less problematic to complete. Houston finalized the Nets’ blockbuster that included four first-round picks and four draft swaps. Yet a year later, sources say Morey still has some optimism that he can finally find a way to bring Harden his way. More specifically, he believes that the nine-time All-Star and 2018 MVP sees the Sixers’ situation in a positive light. And while it may be counterintuitive, Embiid’s MVP-caliber play this season has inspired more patience among Sixers officials to make the right deal than it has pressure to get something done by the deadline. As is the case with most potential free agent suitors, there are two primary ways the 76ers can bring in Harden in the offseason: signing him with cap space and negotiating a sign-and-trade with the Nets. However, the 76ers are roughly $20 million over the 2022-23 salary cap with just their fully guaranteed players and filling out the roster, so clearing enough space for Harden would require sending out $61-65 million in salary without taking any back, which is a big undertaking in any offseason, especially this one where so few teams will wield space. That means a sign-and-trade involving Simmons and/or Harris is the practical option, although the Nets would have to agree.
Sources say Morey has full support of ownership to take this situation beyond this deadline and into the summer, with the internal belief that they simply must prioritize Embiid’s prime over the course of next several years rather than act too quickly because of this season’s stakes. Embiid is signed through the 2025-2026 season and has a player option worth $54 million in 2026-27. What’s more, Embiid has made it clear that he believes in this team’s ability – as currently constructed – to contend for an Eastern Conference crown and perhaps even a championship. To wit: Even with Embiid missing 11 games this season, the Sixers (27-19) find themselves just 2 ½ games back of Brooklyn for the top spot in the East. In terms of individual dominance, Embiid and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo are the only players averaging at least 28 points, 10 rebounds and four assists this season. “There’s no sense of panic (to do a deal before the deadline),” one source with knowledge of the Sixers’ thinking said. And still, the injury history of Embiid makes it supremely important to find a way to maximize each season. No matter that Embiid’s own MVP case is likely much greater should the 76ers keep Simmons past the trade deadline. For his part, Harden has focused on the Nets’ championship aspirations this season. It’s unclear how he sees the prospect of playing in Philadelphia – or with Embiid – but all indications are that the Sixers truly believe they have a chance of landing him. If they can’t land Harden, of course, they’ll continue pursuing the likes of Portland’s Damian Lillard, Washington’s Bradley Beal or Boston’s Jaylen Brown. Harden declined to sign a three-year, $162 million extension with the Nets prior to the regular season, stating that he was concentrating on the season and didn’t “plan on leaving this organization and the situation that we have.” Both Harden ($47.3 million) and Nets star guard Kyrie Irving ($36.6 million) have player options for this offseason. If Harden opts into his player option, he is eligible for a four-year, $227.2 million max extension, making it a total five-year, $274.7 million contract. Should Harden opt out and join a new team, he is eligible for a four-year, $200.1 million max deal. Nevertheless, do the 76ers complete a deal now to make the team better around Embiid? Morey has made it clear that any Simmons trade must include a championship-impacting player – and not just multiple high-level rotation players. “It really is important that the player we add to Joel, if we really want to take our odds from wherever we’re at right now to something materially higher, it has to come back in an impact player,” Morey said Thursday on 97.5 The Fanatic. “If you trade one of these great players for multiple, it does not move your championship odds enough to make a difference. It might take us from where we’re at now to a little bit better, but it’s very slightly better. For Joel, we have to make sure we get this right and we move ourselves to a higher tier of ability to win a championship. “We are looking for a deal that makes us a championship contender; in the top two or three in the league of winning a title. Those are the teams that win.” Although Morey is believed to be prioritizing making sure the 76ers don’t eliminate the acquisition of a star player later by doing a deal now, he also said Embiid’s recent play elevates the desire to make a trade. In true Morey form, he’s trying his best to keep everyone guessing. “Because Joel has lifted us to contention by his sheer will of greatness this year, that does the number of deals we would do more likely. It’s more likely that we can find ones that get us into the top few contention because of how great Joel is playing.” There have been ebbs and flows to the Simmons ordeal in Philadelphia, which remains fluid. And even as the league has awaited the inevitable trade of the 25-year-old, the 76ers desiring one of Morey’s longtime former stars, or someone of the same ilk in the offseason, could complicate matters.
Yes you can find a cheaper player, will that player be as skilled as Simmons is the real question. We don't really disagree with any of this I just don't think it's easy to get a guy who has the skill set of Simmons but even then I would not like him on my team. Simmon's is a glorified role player who could never actually lead a team or be a great 2nd option, if he was willing to be Draymond 2.0 he would be very valuable, but his ego will not let him.
Did Kobe not play a season when healthy? Thought story around him was always that he'd play even when hurt.
Morey wants Harden for the max contract this offseason and is not going to trade Ben Simmons but values Embid's prime which is a priority. The team's salary is maxed out. He's also about player empowerment and BLM despite being spiteful mf to Ben. Is anyone following this or is he still an innocent dorky dork?
Embiid is an injury time bomb. I don't wish him bad. But it only takes one injury for him to put Philly into panic mode. If Embiid can't stay healthy, will getting Harden (and giving up some good role players) be good enough to contend? I think Morey is bluffing to get the Kings and the Hawks to up their offers.
