Sixers seem intent on keeping Ben Simmons… for now

A new report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania has further illuminated the Ben Simmons situation. With the regular season less than two weeks away, the Sixers clearly hope for Simmons to report. That said, the situation is relentlessly murky, with no clear resolution in sight.

Ben Simmons has already experienced severe financial ramifications as a result of his holdout, including $8.25 million in withheld salary and an over $300,000 fine per missed preseason game.

It would appear the Sixers have gained some leverage with Simmons’ camp as a result.

The Sixers want Ben Simmons to report and clearly have no desire to trade him right now. How long can that last?

The most interesting nugget from Charania’s report is a rumored offer from the Sixers to Portland — CJ McCollum, three first-round picks, and pick swaps in exchange for Ben Simmons. That is blatantly absurd. The Blazers are right to have no interest in such a trade. That said, there is no doubt in my mind that Daryl Morey understands how absurd it is.

To take a page from the books of Derek Bodner and Kyle Neubeck, this feels like a clear message from Morey: the Sixers have no intention of trading Ben Simmons right now. If the Sixers were in any way serious about making a deal, negotiations would have moved beyond the “insane” asking prices we’ve heard about all summer. The Sixers want Simmons to report, and with the financial ramifications in play, the front office and ownership have taken the necessary actions to at least make Simmons reconsider.

Per Shams, the Sixers and Rich Paul have maintained an open line of communication about Simmons potentially reporting. That said, Simmons has maintained his resistance to that idea so far, and has even cleared out his Philly-area homes. If Simmons does report, it would be with “short term intentions.”

That naturally brings up the most important question in all of this: what is Philadelphia really playing at? If Simmons does report, the odds of him being fully engaged are slim to none. He could even claim injury and sit out, as we’ve heard floated before. It is clear Simmons expects to be traded at some point, and it’s hard to imagine him and Philadelphia mending such thoroughly burned bridges.

Daryl Morey does deserve some credit for not caving to the impulses of an exhausted fanbase. The Sixers’ best bet is to get Simmons on the floor, or at least in the building. The Sixers have every incentive to see how the season plays out, and to canvass a potentially more robust trade market closer to the February trade deadline. While Morey’s general reluctance to negotiate seriously with interested parties is rightfully frustrating, it’s clear he will not blink in this Ben Simmons standoff. There has to be some belief around the organization that this can all be fixed, at least bandaid-over-bullet-wound style. We will see how foolish that belief ultimately is.