- The Philadelphia 76ers are favored to have Ben Simmons play in game one of the regular season.
- The Sacramento Kings have the second shortest odds at +400 and Simmons has stated he wants to play for a California team.
- The Golden State Warriors have +2000 long odds for Ben Simmons.
PHILADELPHIA – The drama between the Philadelphia 76ers and All-Star Ben Simmons has progressed this offseason and many expect Simmons to be traded before opening night.
Despite the 76ers‘ efforts to publicly declare they want Simmons back; the young guard has stated his time in Philly has run its course.
Even so, odds at NBA sportsbooks show that sports bettors are leaning heavily on Simmons starting on the 6ixers this season.
Where Will Ben Simmons Play Game 1 Of The 2021-2022 Regular Season?
- Philadelphia 76ers +150
- Sacramento Kings +400
- Denver Nuggets +1800
- Golden State Warriors +2000
Why The Philadelphia 76ers?
Ben Simmons’ trade value is low at the moment. A combination of his poor playoff performance against the Atlanta Hawks and his public falling out with the team means that Philly has little leverage regarding trade discussions.
Philadelphia 76ers GM Daryl Morey could be looking to hold out on trading Simmons until after the season starts in an attempt to maximize the return on Ben. Morey has publicly stated he hopes Simmons returns, comparing their situation to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
“I think there’s a lot of hope,” said Morey. “I would say I watched last night a player lead his team to victory when a thousand pounds of digital ink were spilled on how much he would never play for that team again.
Simmons himself has refused to report to the team this offseason and has stated he will not be returning. Simmons cites issues with playing alongside Joel Embiid as a core problem, believing their styles of play do not mesh on the court.
With Embiid being the number one option on Philly, Simmons would have to be the player to be moved.
Why The Sacramento Kings?
The Sacramento Kings are an organization that has consistently been near the bottom of their conference for years. This has allowed them to accumulate young assets and draft capital that could be used in a Simmons trade.
Ben Simmons has stated he wishes to play for one of the California teams and the Kings are the only team that has the assets to trade for Simmons.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers already have their core team together and have little to no draft picks to trade for the athlete.
The Golden State Warriors, despite having +2000 odds at online sportsbooks, have said themselves they are not that interested in trading for Simmons.
“In some ways, it doesn’t really fit what we’re doing,” said Joe Lacob, Golden State Warrior owner. “He makes a lot of money. And, can he finish games? I don’t know. He’s very talented. The problem is: We have Draymond [Green]. Draymond and him are very similar in the sense that neither one really shoots and they do a lot of the playmaking. That’s one issue. The salary structure is another.”
The Kings could offer the best package to the 76ers and would be in the state that Simmons wishes to play in.
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Why The Denver Nuggets?
Some suspect the Nuggets will be a sleeper here.
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) September 23, 2021
The Denver Nuggets were rumored earlier in the month to be frontrunners for a Ben Simmons trade. Denver has young talent in Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. while also having draft capital.
Although the Nuggets themselves have denied wanting to give up any of their young talent for the Philly All-Star, the rumors have to have come from somewhere.
Simmons would make the Nuggets a bigger threat, but this would yet again be pairing Simmons with an All-Star center in Nikola Jokic. Denver may look at the issues Simmons has had alongside Embiid as a negative.
Why The Golden State Warriors?
Even with Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob all but saying they are not interested in a deal for Ben Simmons, the Warriors have been the team attached to Simmons the most since he requested a trade.
Additionally, Steph Curry, MVP guard of the Warriors, made cryptic comments that he would be interested in playing alongside Simmons.
“Let’s say if you’re not having those conversations, then you’re not trying, let’s put it that way,” said Curry.
The Warriors are also running into an issue with their young forward Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins is not vaccinated and could potentially be unable to play in home games due to the city mandate regarding COVID-19.
Trading for Simmons in a package that includes Andrew Wiggins would solve a lot of problems for Golden State.
After graduating from Florida State University with a degree in creative writing, Giovanni spent his professional career writing short stories for online journals. Now at USAOnlineSportsbooks, you can find him keeping fans up to date on their favorite teams best betting odds. Giovanni still tries to incorporate his passion for storytelling through the perspective of sports betting.
