Supposed to undergo a big boost in recent days, the soap opera Ben Simmons shows no notable progress in Philadelphia. A player proposed to the franchise could however change everything, and make the 76ers give way!
The much-mentioned date of December 15, however, should see this issue evolve significantly. In the end, it is not for the moment. Still stuck in Philadelphia, Ben Simmons must also find the time long these last days. As new names have landed on the list of potentially transferable players, the Australia international still cannot prepare for his next departure.
Although they keep negotiations open for their star point guard, the 76ers cannot find enough offers in the market to their liking. A finding that may seem surprising, both there are many franchises interested in Big Ben’s profile. Undoubtedly too greedy, the leaders of the franchise therefore let this series drag on, to the dismay of the principal concerned.
A young star from the West to save Ben Simmons?
At first very restrictive as to the teams in which he wishes to land, Simmons has meanwhile broadened his horizon for a few weeks. Surprisingly enough, it would be for example interested in playing under Gregg Popovich at Spurs. However, San Antonio would have already tried to recruit him according to Ian Begley of SportsNet New York… without success.
Earlier in the season, the Sixers showed little interest in a package focused around young San Antonio Spurs players, including Dejounte Murray. So that offers a nice idea as to the caliber of player that Philadelphia wants in exchange for Simmons.
Admittedly, this package could seem insufficient a few weeks ago for Philly. This may no longer be the case, however.
Given the recent performance of Dejounte Murray, Daryl Morey and his deputies could indeed review their position vis-à-vis this deal. The 25-year-old leader is gradually asserting himself as a star since the start of the season, and even signed an extremely rare line of stats a few days ago. His averages of 18.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 8.6 assists even come close in some intriguing way to those of Simmons.
Become as versatile as the triple All-Star, Murray also displays defensive talents just as pronounced as the latter. Master in the art of interception (4th best player in the league in the exercise, 2.0 units per game), he is also much more reliable at 3 points (34.7% this year). So many reasons for the Sixers to reconsider their choice with regard to him!
Snubbed by the 76ers a few weeks ago, could Dejounte Murray be the one who will finally unlock the Ben Simmons case? For this, it would already be necessary that the Spurs always show themselves sellers, which could no longer be the case!
