Ben Simmons trades rumors: Kings reluctant to include De'Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton in offer, per. Report

Getty Images

Ben Simmons is putting pressure on the Philadelphia 76ers to replace him, but the longer this saga stretches, the harder it will be for Daryl Morey to find a satisfying offer. The team’s main decision-maker reportedly sought a “Harden-esque” package of choice in exchange for his 25-year-old All-Star, but so far no trading partner has stepped up. In fact, one of the teams with a rumored interest will not include either of its two best young players.

According to Athlete Sam Amick, The 76ers spoke to the Sacramento Kings earlier in the offseason about a possible Simmons deal, but was told the Kings would not include any of its valued guards, De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton. It would let them build a deal around players with significantly less value around the league like Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley as well as draft picks. At this point, it seems that the Sixers are not interested in such a package, so the Kings are an unlikely destination for the Simmons.

Simmons prefers to land with one of three California teams, a Western Conference leader said Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. It’s unclear if the Kings are one of those teams or not, but given the alternatives are Golden State and the two Los Angeles teams, it is very possible that they are not. Pompeius reports that the Warriors have already turned down an offer involving Simmons. The Lakers and Clippers simply do not have the fortune to make a competitive offer.

The team that allegedly pursues Simmons heaviest is the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they reportedly lack the kind of win-now pieces Philadelphia wants for Simmons. The 76ers have Joel Embiid, MVP second place, in his prime. It is unlikely that they would accept a package that was primarily based on choices unless they thought they could later make those choices something more immediately valuable.

At the moment, such an offer is not ready to be available to them and they are running out of time to find one. Training camp begins later this month, and Simmons will reportedly not attend. It will put more pressure on the 76ers to take the best offer they can, because the longer this drags on, the more leverage they lose.