Ben Simmons To Hold Out, Latest Trade Destination Odds For Sixers Star

The latest development in the Ben Simmons-Philadelphia Sixers drama is that the 2021 runner-up Defensive Player of the Year has reiterated that he plans to never play for the Sixers again.

Simmons had previously stated that he would not report to Philadelphia's training camp, so the news of him doubling down on this statement and apparently being willing to take on any penalties that come with not reporting to his team is quite massive.

If Simmons indeed holds true to his statements, then this makes it extremely difficult for Sixers President of Basketball Operation Daryl Morey to continue along the path of patiently waiting for the best trade offer.

Simmons—despite all the negative press surrounding his now-infamous lackluster postseason performance—had a great 2021 season, averaging 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and a combined 2.2 steals/blocks per game.

The teams that have been most rumored to trade for Simmons so far are the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings—who both have a ton of young talent and draft assets—and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard was heavily rumored to want out of Portland, but those talks have since cooled off as new head coach Chauncey Billups gears up for training camp with a somewhat new group of talent around Lillard.

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There are plenty of darkhorse candidates to trade for Simmons, but almost all of these darkhorse candidates are rebuilding teams that wouldn't seem to fit the mold of what the "win-now" Sixers are looking for.

Whatever deal the Sixers make when they trade Ben Simmons has to conceivably make the team more competitive in the short term, while also convincing Joel Embiid that his best move is to spend his entire career in Philly.

It's a tough needle to thread for sure, and the creativity of Daryl Morey will be put to test as we inch ever closer to the formal start of the 2021-22 NBA season.

Below are the latest trade odds for Ben Simmons via BetMGM: