Momentum toward Ben Simmons trade; Lillard off the table

Momentum is building toward a Ben Simmons trade for the 76ers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe of ESPN (Twitter link). Several teams are engaged with Philadelphia at the moment, including two- and three-way structured deals. Philly is still searching for a top-tier caliber player, Woj adds.

In a follow-up tweet, Wojnarowski relays that the increased activity is partially due to Dec. 15, the date when most offseason signees become eligible for inclusion in trades.

Woj also says that the Trail Blazers have told the Sixers that Damian Lillard is off the table in trade talks, adding that interim GM Joe Cronin is committed to building around Lillard, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to stay in Portland long-term (Twitter links).

It’s only natural that trade talks would pick up around Dec. 15, but it’s interesting that the timing coincides with the Pacers listening to offers for Caris LeVert, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. I’m not trying to imply that the Sixers necessarily want any of those three players, as Sabonis and Turner have positional overlap with Joel Embiid and LeVert has struggled thus far, but it’s definitely possible that the Pacers could be involved in the three-way talks.