When the Philadelphia 76ers made it clear that Ben Simmons is available for a trade this offseason, there were reports that Sixers President Daryl Morey had his asking price set high. Some mentioned that Morey was looking for a James Harden-like haul in exchange for the 25-year-old All-Star, Ben Simmons.
So far, no inquiring team has met Morey's demands. And because of that, Simmons remains a member of the 76ers. With training camp a little over a week away, it seems Simmons won't be moved before the preseason approaches.
But just because he'll be on the Sixers' roster when camp arrives doesn't mean the star guard plans to show up for the offseason activities. At this point, it's evident Simmons will hold out from training camp this year.
How long will his holdout last? Well, former NBA veteran Kendrick Perkins believes that like James Harden did last season, Simmons will eventually have to show up to the Sixers' practice facility in Camden, New Jersey, to practice with the 76ers.
"Look, if James Harden had to start the season off in a Rockets uniform, I don’t know what makes Ben Simmons think he’s gonna have anything different," said former NBA center Kendrick Perkins. "His trade value is not there."
Last offseason, James Harden made it clear to the Houston Rockets that he would like to be traded. At first, the Rockets only had plans to make it work with Harden. Although the former MVP missed the start of training camp, he eventually showed up and played in a handful of games with the Rockets.
Although the situation eventually became too toxic to the point where the Rockets had no choice but to trade Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, the star guard still didn't get out of Houston when he initially wanted to, proving Perkins' point that Simmons will more than likely land in a similar scenario.
"When you hear the organization of the 76ers come out and say ‘hey, we’re not trading Ben. We’re going to keep him on the roster until we find something that benefits us as well.’ That means they’re willing to wait it out," Perkins continued. "I believe he will be with the Philadelphia 76ers come opening night.”
With training camp vastly approaching, the Sixers reportedly "remain intent" on getting Simmons to show his face in Philly at some point soon. As long as the Sixers fail to land an All-Star caliber player or a total haul of valuable picks and young players in return for Simmons, the veteran point guard doesn't seem to be moving anywhere anytime soon.
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