PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The clock is ticking as the NBA's trade deadline approaches. After months of rumor, speculation and debate, one major question that will be answered by Thursday, 3 p.m., is whether Ben Simmons will remain on the 76ers' roster the rest of the season.
If he is, what would happen? Will Simmons continue to sit out for personal reasons — the two-word summarization of a whole slew of factors resulting in his not wanting to play in Philadelphia? Would he suit up? Could — or should — one of his teammates persuade him to take the court?
After the Sixers' most recent game, their last before the deadline, star Joel Embiid offered an answer to that last question.
"Nah, I'm just worried about the guys that are here," Embiid said. "And for the guys that are here, and if you here, I'm gonna challenge you, and we gonna challenge each other, to be better and trying to win a championship."
So, it doesn't sound like he'll make any additional effort to lure Simmons back, even though Embiid has suggested in the past that having Simmons on the court makes them a better team.
"If someone wants to play, they're welcome," Embiid said. "But, we got guys that want to be here, that show up every single night."
Embiid also made a reference to a word — "babysit" — which he used after Doc Rivers removed Simmons from one of the few practices he participated in when he briefly returned to train before the season started.
"I don't know what other type of word I can use, but I get paid to bring results and win games. I don't get paid to, you know, babysit Tyrese [Maxey]," Embiid said, using the emerging 21-year-old as an example, not calling him out.
"I get paid to challenge him to try to help me win games. I get paid to, you know, do the same thing to Tobias [Harris] and all the other guys, and they respond."
Evidently Embiid would welcome Simmons back, but he sees his job as leading and dominating on- and off-court with the guys who have committed themselves to the team — not to someone who seems to want a fresh start elsewhere.
The big trade rumor everyone has been and will be talking about is Simmons for Brooklyn Nets star James Harden. It is possible that the two will be swapped, with other players or draft assets in the deal by the trade deadline. Until then, everyone will be waiting.
Harris will be refreshing his Twitter timeline for updates from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Matisse Thybulle said the deadline passing will allow a couple of them to finally breathe.
And Doc Rivers said that, from a coaching standpoint, he can't wait for the deadline to pass, because then the Sixers' roster will be set — for the most part — for the rest of this unprecedented season.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock …
