NBA Rumors: Sixers Have Their Eyes On BIG Target

With the February 10th trade deadline ticking ever closer, some would think the Philadelphia 76ers would be starting to feel the pressure of getting a Ben Simmons deal done. Not so, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic. 

With the offers they've been receiving not quite cutting it, the latest intel suggests it appears that Sixers president Daryl Morey is content to wait this out for a bigger prize after the season. 

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 (James) 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. 

Philadelphia's preference is to wait until the offseason to try to trade Ben Simmons for James Harden or another star, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/z7IBcWekdC

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 24, 2022

Amick and Charania go on to suggest that it'll take an unexpected last-minute blockbuster offer that blows Morey and the Sixers away, to dissuade them from their offseason "superstar" target of Harden (or, presumably, Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, or any other superstar who deems it's time to move on from his current club.)

Morey had said all along that he was looking for a "top 30" All-Star in any return package for Simmons, although he amended that a bit last week in a radio interview, stating he could lower his price a tad because of the All-NBA play by Joel Embiid this season.

The Sixers will, however, continue taking calls between now and Feb. 10th, and assessing offers. Sacramento and Atlanta have been the most active on the phone lines with Philly thus far. 

Photo Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports