Sixers Seeking All-Star For Ben Simmons, Turn Away Pacers

The 76ers are fielding offers for guard/forward Ben Simmons and are seeking an All-Star caliber player in return, per Jason Dumas of KRON-TV.

Per Dumas, the Sixers rejected an offer from the Pacers that consisted of Malcolm Brogdon and a first-round pick for Simmons.

Agent Rich Paul recently met with Sixers director of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand to discuss Simmons’ future with the franchise, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The sides are expected to continue to meet.

Simmons has been at the center of trade rumors since a subpar showing in a Game 7 home loss to the Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He has not requested a trade, Wojnarowski.

Instead, Paul met with the Sixers to discuss whether it would make sense to work together in a potential Simmons trade, Wojnarowski wrote, adding that opposing teams were gauging the Sixers’ interest in trade packages at the NBA Combine in Chicago.

Simmons, 24, still has four years and $147 million remaining on his contract. Publicly, Morey has left the door open to trying to improve a team that already features Simmons, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris, and finished with the best record in the East.

“We have a very strong group we believe in,” Morey said at his season-ending press conference. “None of us can predict the future of what’s going to happen in any, in any place. We love what Ben brings, we love what Joel brings, we love what Tobias brings.

“In terms of what’s next, we’re going to do what’s best for the 76ers to give us the best chance to win the championship with every single player on the roster.”

Simmons went just 15-of-45 on free throws in the seven-game series vs. the Hawks. For the playoffs, he shot 34.2 percent from the line — the worst in postseason history for players with at least 70 attempts.

“Offensively, I wasn’t there. I didn’t do enough for my teammates,” Simmons said. “There’s a lot of things that I need to work on.”

Still, he averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists during the regular season, and is considered one of the top two or three defenders in the league, perhaps the very best on the perimeter. He indicated after the season that he prefers to stay with the Sixers.