It’s the head coach who is Ben’s biggest backer. Brown coached Ben’s father in Australia. The friendship goes way back. The owner is a hedge fund whiz who would flip Simmons if it were possible.Sixers just look to me like a team that needs to deal one of their top 4 guys. The presence of Simmons makes Horford less valuable than he might be elsewhere. They have $120M tied up in 4 guys for foreseeable future so there’s zero flexibility here. Ownership is smitten with Simmons so they won’t do anything but he’s the guy I’d deal. Could get a ton for him.
I favor a Simmons trade, just to shake up the mix. But then you get pretty mediocre without all the things Ben does well — defense, mismatches, etc.