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There’s been plenty of buzz surrounding who will be Damian Lillard‘s next team. While it’s been widely reported that he wants to join the Miami Heat, there might be a few moving parts for the Philadelphia 76ers‘ conference foe to acquire him, but one particular obstacle could be the inclusion of former Sixer Ben Simmons.
Greg Sylvander of 5 Reasons Sports revealed that the Brooklyn Nets, who may or may not be involved in a three-way trade with the Heat and Portland Trail Blazers, would like to get rid of Simmons in the deal.
“As Dame to Miami deal continues to be worked on, I’m told at least one challenge in negotiations has been the fact (Brooklyn) wants to ship out Ben Simmons as part of this deal.
“The sticking point being that no team is particularly interested in taking him so far, per source,” Sylvander wrote via his personal Twitter.
Simmons is coming off a down year in his first season with the Nets, where he averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in 42 games before being shut down for the season. He’s also on the contract books for two more seasons and over $78 million, which will make him hard to trade.
Tyrese Maxey Not Available in Damian Lillard Talks
The Sixers could potentially acquire Damian Lillard if they wanted to, especially knowing how things have gone with James Harden. However, getting him would require unloading Tyrese Maxey. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Sixers are not willing to do that.
“Of the available pieces that you see on the board that could be offered for Dame Lillard, I think Maxey is the prime piece. And again, if Philadelphia was making that offer, Dame Lillard might be in Philly right now. But they are not. They are pulling back from that,” Windhorst said on Sportscenter.
The Sixers could work out a trade where they send out both Harden and Maxey in a multi-team deal that lands them Lillard so that they could stay among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. However, then they would have to think about who they would surround Lillard and Embiid with the rest of the roster, which would not be easy.
James Harden Won’t Play for Sixers Again
By opting in, Harden is on the Sixers until further notice. If a trade does not happen before the regular season starts, it opens the possibility that Harden could play out the remainder of the contract. According to Sam Amick, that won’t be the case if they cross that bridge.
Amick revealed on the July 3 episode of “Ball Don’t Lie” podcast that those in the Sixers organization believe Harden has shut the door on the possibility of ever playing for the team again.
“When I essentially asked the question of, ‘Is there a small percentage chance that you find a way for James to settle down, ala Kevin Durant last summer, and get him back on the court at the start of the season?’ That door, I was told, was shut right away. The Sixers understand that’s not happening.”
The Sixers have dealt with this before with Simmons, but it might be tougher to get value out of Harden on an expiring contract.
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