With less than two weeks before the NBA trade deadline on February 10th, the Sacramento Kings have officially been eliminated from the Ben Simmons sweepstakes and will pursue potential deals elsewhere, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Inside of two weeks until the February 10 NBA trade deadline, the Kings believe the asking price for Simmons is too steep and that a pathway to reaching an agreement with the Sixers doesn’t exist, sources said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2022
The Kings was one of the more aggressive teams for Simmons offering rumored deals surrounding guards DeAaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, but the team now believes the asking price is too high for Simmons, and they have run out of feasible offers.
Sacramento has players like Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield, and Richaun Holmes to easily match Simmons’ contract salary, along with rumors of James Harden being unhappy in Brooklyn. Wojnarowski believes an in-season trade at this point could be unlikely, and the team could wait until the offseason to make a deal.
Ben Simmons continues to sit out due to mental health reasons and still hasn’t changed his mind on his trade requests. On the other hand, Simmons is signed with 6ers through the 2024-25 season, which gives them patience and leverage to wait on a deal.
The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a 29-19 start, two games behind the first-place Miami Heat, while the Sacramento Kings are in 13th in the Western Conference at 18-32 after losing five straight.
