The Philadelphia 76ers have a very short list of superstars they have green-lighted in a trade for Ben Simmons. Bradley Beal remains one of those players, although the Washington Wizards have no immediate plans to get rid of him.
Beal hasn’t requested a trade, but the three-time All-Star does have a player option for the 2022-23 season. His contract status could complicate the likelihood of a deal getting done since any team trading for him would essentially be renting him for 41 games. That could change if Washington allowed his agent to negotiate a long-term contract with his new team, although The Athletic’s David Aldridge and Josh Robbins don’t see that happening.
Contract issues aside, Beal would seem to be a perfect fit in Philly. He’s a prolific scorer who could take over Seth Curry’s spot in the starting five. Yes, Curry is beloved within the Sixers’ organization but he has struggled with injuries this season and hasn’t looked the same since suffering a left ankle injury.
“For the first time in a long time, sources close to Beal indicate he’s not rejecting out of hand the notion of trade elsewhere — even though his preference is to remain with the Wizards.” 👀
– @davidaldridgedc & @JoshuaBRobbins on Bradley Beal’s future
Of course, the sticking point in trading for Beal might be the compensation. The Athletic reported that Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle are both untouchable. The Sixers wouldn’t include either player in a Beal trade, preferring only to give up Simmons and future draft picks.
“Philadelphia has made no secret that Beal is on its short list of players for whom it would trade disgruntled guard Ben Simmons, who has sat out all season,” Aldrige and Robbins wrote. “But the 76ers won’t include an additional piece, such as exciting young guard Tyrese Maxey, along with Simmons in a potential trade for Beal, per league sources. Philly has similarly held firm that it won’t put third-year forward Matisse Thybulle, a terrific wing defender, in a Simmons package.”
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Simmons Remains ‘Upset’ at Joel Embiid
The drama continues to reach soap opera levels in Philadelphia where Simmons remains angry at Joel Embiid. He feels the All-Star center threw him under the bus after last year’s playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks when he referred to Simmons’ decision to pass up an open dunk as the “turning point.” Embiid has since clarified what he meant by that statement, but Simmons remains “upset.”
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne wrote: “According to sources close to Simmons, he’s upset that Embiid seemed to blame him for last season’s playoff loss, when Simmons did not blame Embiid for Embiid’s poor showing in the playoffs against the Toronto Raptors in 2019. He’s frustrated that Rivers didn’t come to see him while he was training in Los Angeles last summer.”
When the Ben Simmons-76ers saga began last summer, no one on either side thought it would last this long or cost this much.
Nine days before the deadline, here’s where the historic stalemate stands. @ramonashelburne ➡️ t.co/biDYTXVKb1
Doc Rivers Comments on Simmons’ Report
Simmons is also mad at Sixers head coach Doc Rivers for not visiting him in California, according to Shelburne. The disgruntled point guard felt that Rivers “could’ve done more” to make things right, like showing up at “a well-known gym in the San Fernando Valley where he was training.”
#Sixers story: Doc Rivers on Ben Simmons: ‘There’s nobody that’s been more supportive than me. I have a tape someone sent me of almost an hour of me over and over (praising him)’ t.co/AEvTyXJF9g #NBA
Interesting and kind of crazy, right? Rivers fired back at the notion of him not doing enough during a recent interview with Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. He encouraged all parties involved to tell the truth.
“I always have supported Ben,” Rivers said, via Moore. “I want him to do well. It’s just the excuses and all that stuff. One of the things I tell all my players is that respect is a two-way street, especially these young guys. You can’t expect to ignore us or not listen and then want us to do something different to you. You have to respect each other to be successful in life.”
Exclusive #NBA story on Doc Rivers’ reaction to the latest from the #Sixers‘ Ben Simmons: ‘Some of this stuff I laugh at … The people that can’t (handle the truth) probably don’t handle me well. And I don’t lose an ounce of sleep over it’ t.co/awaUELQT1V #76ersPreview
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Sixers Making 2 Players ‘Untouchable’ in Bradley Beal Deal: Report