Quote (Sixers @ Sep 9 2021 09:57pm)
This is the time of the off-season where teams have their beer muscles, they feel good and don't want to get rid of what they have because they have high hopes for their team and they have players that sell tickets (i.e. Portland with Lillard who is the cities hero). Once the season comes around, things change....they ALWAYS do. Players become frustrated, front offices don't like how their team is performing, etc. It's the NBA, the temperature changes every other week once the season kicks off. Then the pressure is on to improve and get a fresh face in town and the Sixers are sitting on a 24 year old 3x All-Star and All-Defensive 1st team player that can vastly change a teams outlook (at least in the regular season that is). We all know how incredibly valuable Simmons is in the regular season at this point, he will certainly give a team that much and for some teams that's more than enough despite his questionable postseason value offensively.
Selling Simmons now means the Sixers are selling him during the dip, and why would they do that? Even if it takes going into the regular season with him out, and waiting for a team to get desperate to upgrade or switch things up then so be it. The vast majority of 76ers fans are fine with going into the season with Simmons holding out and just riding it out with who we have, and letting Maxey get his chance to shine. Even if it means we sacrifice regular season wins early on in the season, then so be it. I saw a poll the other day where thousands of 76ers fans voted, and like 88% of them said they're fine with letting Simmons sit out and riding with the team we have waiting for a fair offer, even if the team isn't as good in the regular season.
We aren't winning it all in the playoffs with Simmons, we've already established that. So what do we have to lose? Let Maxey ball out and pump up his value, then there's a good chance any big trade for an opposing star player would include Simmons and Maxey (both of them are signed with Klutch).
this is very similar to the Kawhi situation except the contract. what team is going to pay full value for Simmons if they aren't guaranteed that he is going to give 100% effort? Philly is already a huge market and has been a contender (on paper) multiple seasons now. how many teams in the league can offer that? then how many of those teams are in a position to deal with the 76ers and actually want to? the only small market team we could reasonably include on the potential suitor list is Minnesota.
another thing to factor in is that the 76ers aren't going to be as interested in high caliber prospects (like SGA or Wiseman) nor are they going to be as interested in projected lottery picks
they need a point guard who can shoot the 3. hard to come up with a list of guys who are both better than Brogdon and available in a trade, plus the major risk Simmons runs to sulk if he were traded to an Indiana or Memphis type of team