76ers' Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid Discuss James Harden Trade Rumors

On the eve of the Philadelphia 76ers' regular-season opener, stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid aren't letting rumors about a James Harden trade distract them from their goals in 2020-21. 

Simmons, who has frequently been mentioned as the potential centerpiece of a trade with the Houston Rockets, told reporters on Tuesday he approaches each day the same. 

“I come in every day, take it a day at a time, ready to work,” he said. “Every time I got a Sixers uniform on, I’m representing the Sixers. My mentality never changes. I’m here to win a championship. That’s never going to change.”

Embiid simply stated the Sixers aren't paying attention to any outside distractions:

“We’re focused on how we can get better as a team. We got a great opportunity to go out and compete for the whole thing and that’s what we’re focused on. All the outside noise, you can’t control it. You got to control whatever you can. We want to win the whole thing and that’s what we intend to and we’re pushing ourselves to do so.”

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported last week the 76ers "have signaled a willingness" to include Simmons in talks with the Rockets for Harden, but the two sides "have come nowhere close to a deal."

Following that report, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey issued a statement to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium: “We are not trading Ben Simmons—he is an important part of our future.”

Head coach Doc Rivers also downplayed any notion the organization was looking to trade Simmons. 

“I can tell you again that none of this has started from us,” Rivers told reporters on Dec. 18. “I gave Ben a call last night, but I’m not going to share when we said. It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of our business. It is what it is.”

Embiid and Simmons have been the faces of 76ers basketball over the past three seasons. That duo has led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances, the franchise's longest streak since five straight from 1998-2003. 

Simmons missed Philadelphia's playoff series last season against the Boston Celtics due to a knee injury. The 24-year-old is a two-time All-Star who averages 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists in 217 career games. 

The 76ers will open the 2020-21 season on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards.