Daryl Morey Says Sixers Aren’t Trading Ben Simmons for James Harden

It’s been an interesting Thursday night, to say the least. Just hours before it was reported the Philadelphia 76ers view Ben Simmons as “off-limits” in a possible trade with the Houston Rockets for James Harden, several reports surfaced mentioning that the Sixers have “signaled a willingness” to include Ben Simmons in a trade.

Not too long after those rumors went flying around, multiple reports indicated the Sixers aren’t, in fact, looking to include Simmons in any trades for James Harden. And just as everybody began scrambling around looking for more answers, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey spoke out.

“We are not trading Ben Simmons,” the President of Basketball Ops told Shams Charania of The Athletic. “He is an important part of our future.” Ever since leaving the Rockets and signing on to run the 76ers front office, Morey has made it clear he would like to see Simmons and Joel Embiid work under the Sixers’ new head coach, Doc Rivers.

While Morey is familiar with Harden and certainly fond of the 31-year-old superstar guard, it would surely be difficult for the Sixers to put a package together including the 24-year-old All-Star, who is locked in on a long-term contract, along with future assets for the Houston All-Star.

Morey and the 76ers could be doing some damage control following the leaks of Simmons potentially being on the table for a trade, but it is necessary to note that the reports of Simmons’ possible availability came at the same time that the Rockets reportedly began expanding trade talks beyond Harden’s preferred destinations.

Nothing is off the table here, but the leaks could be a way for Houston to find leverage in the trade market as they could look to drive the price up. In this case, the 76ers have nothing to gain by making it known that Simmons is available. Therefore, they continue to relay the message that Simmons remains in the Sixers’ future plans. Only time will tell if that’s absolutely true or not.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_