The Philadelphia 76ers still have not found a resolution in their feud with star player Ben Simmons.
But has it yet reached a point where they'd be willing to trade him to a division rival? If nothing else, the Boston Celtics have kicked the tires to see if that's a possibility.
Simmons has yet to play a game this season with the 76ers, so far holding up on his vow that he would not appear for Philly again. He's gotten booted from practice and now, apparently, is just waiting for a trade.
It's unclear just how many suitors he has, but The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Monday that the Celtics have inquired on Simmons.
"The Boston Celtics have engaged in conversations with the 76ers revolving around Simmons and expressed interest in the 6-foot-11 guard, sources tell The Athletic," Charania wrote. "Talks have been fluid with no traction as of yet, those sources say. Any potential Simmons deal with the Celtics would have to include All-Star forward Jaylen Brown, an ascending talent who is in the midst of another career season, averaging 25.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists."
For the 76ers, doing a deal with Simmons and Brown would be a no-brainer. They would get a rising player in Brown while offloading Simmons, who is causing problems for them. If they hold out too long, all that will happen is they'll lose leverage.
Who knows when this will get resolved, but the Celtics are stumbling and the 76ers need to get rid of Simmons. In a vacuum, this makes some sense.
