Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons both standing strong in stances

The dragged-out divorce between the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons has been one of the bigger stories during this season. Simmons infamously choked in the Sixers’ second round exit in last year’s playoffs which has led him to ask for a trade demand.

On the 76ers side of things, they are more than willing to trade to the disgruntled star if they get fair or better compensation in return. If they don’t find a deal that fits those parameters, then they won’t settle for less and prefer Simmons to play on the roster this season.

Thus far no deal has been found and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, neither side appears to be budging from their stances. Below is an important quote from the article.

"“The meeting at a downtown Philadelphia restaurant was described as amicable and professional, but [Darryl] Morey reiterated the franchise’s stance that it won’t make a Simmons trade unless it believes the return gives it a chance to compete for a championship, sources said.[Rich] Paul told the Sixers that Simmons’ mental health hurdles continue to preclude him from a return to play with the team, and the desire for a trade out of Philadelphia remains in place, sources said.”"

Philadelphia 76ers and Simmons stalemate continues

This is certainly not what fans wanted to read in terms of both sides trying to come to a resolution. However, with two strong-willed personalities like Sixers president of basketball operation Daryl Morey and Simmons’ agent Rich Paul, this shouldn’t come as a surprise either.

There are several other aspects of Woj’s report that should be mentioned. Firstly, is that Simmons is still being fined for missed games. Secondly, it appears that the Sixers asking price has actually increased which makes trading Simmons less likely this season.

It appears that this might continue well beyond the trade deadline before this Simmons sage is resolved for the Philadelphia 76ers.