Should Sixers Regret Holding Onto Ben Simmons Beyond Trade Deadline?
As the offseason is here for 28 of 30 NBA teams, some are beginning to start looking back on the "should've, could've, would've" situations for every franchise. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently listed each team's biggest regret from the 2020-2021 season. For the Philadelphia 76ers, Swartz lists the Sixers' decision to hold onto Ben Simmons throughout the year as their biggest regret. In case you don't remember, the 76ers were reportedly serious trade candidates for former Rockets star James Harden. As the former NBA MVP grew disgruntled with the Houston Rockets to the point he made it publicly clear he wanted out, it was only a matter of time before he landed in a new location. For Harden, he preferred Brooklyn, Philly, or Miami. Considering the Sixers' new President of Basketball Operations is former Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey, many assumed he had the best chance of landing Harden since he has ties in Houston and could center a package around Ben Simmons, who is a young All-Star on a long-term deal. But as we know, the trade never happened. The Sixers reportedly offered Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, and even more for Harden, but the Rockets sent him to the Brooklyn Nets in a multi-team deal. Some have speculated that Houston's bitterness towards Morey for leaving played a part in preventing a Sixers-Rockets deal from getting done. "Ben Simmons has taken a similar path as NBA Top Shot: If you were involved with either, it would have been best to cash out months ago while the value was at its highest. . . Following his disastrous playoff showing against the Atlanta Hawks (9.9 points in 34.5 minutes per game, 33.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line), Simmons' value is at an all-time low. While he remains a terrific defender and passer, it's become all too painfully obvious that his jumper may never develop. Trading him now means taking a major hit on anything Philly could have gotten last offseason when his stock was still extremely high." After missing out on Harden, Simmons' name wasn't involved in any trade rumors again. At that point, it was clear the Sixers were going to try and make it work with the Simmons-Embiid duo. Once again, it didn't, as the Sixers lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks. Now, the Sixers are considering all options when it comes to Simmons and the rest of the team. It's not a guarantee the Sixers trade Simmons this offseason, but it's certainly not off the table as well. Not exactly. While it's unfortunate Simmons' second-round performance against Atlanta did allow his trade value to take a hit, teams are still relatively high on the three-time All-Star. And although it's becoming more clear the Simmons-Embiid duo could use a shakeup, the Sixers aren't going to trade Simmons for the sake of getting it done. Philly still wants a notable star and has a specific preference of what they want for Simmons. Harden was one of those guys, and he was the only one last season. Morey tried to get it done, but the Rockets weren't willing to budge and make it happen. Not trading Simmons at all last year shouldn't cause the Sixers to feel any regret. Not trading for the package centered around Simmons should be a regret for Houston more than anything. Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.