NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons Trade Market, 76ers
Over the past two months, no NBA players have dominated the headlines more than Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. Neither has played a single game during the 2021-22 season, but that hasn't stopped there from being plenty of news surrounding the pair of point guards.
It's unclear whether either will eventually take the court for their respective teams, or if either could get traded. There have been rumors that both players could get dealt, so it will be interesting to see how things develop down the line.
Here's some of the latest buzz on both Irving and Simmons.
No Teams Interested in Potentially Acquiring Irving?
During the preseason, there seemed to be a possibility that Irving could end up as a part-time player for the Brooklyn Nets this season. Because of New York City vaccine mandates, the 29-year-old, who has not received a COVID-19 vaccine, wouldn't be able to play home games at Barclays Center.
From there, the Nets decided they wouldn't let Irving practice or play for them as long as he wasn't fully eligible. So that's left things at a standstill for the time being.
If the seven-time All-Star got traded to a team in a city with less strict mandates, he could play in more games than he could while with the Nets. However, it may be difficult for Brooklyn to find a trade partner, as one NBA executive told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
"I don't think they can trade him," the executive said. "I think they're just stuck. I don't think it makes sense for anybody. I'm not aware of any team that wants him."
Another executive told Scotto that the Philadelphia 76ers "legitimately made sense," as they could have made a Simmons-for-Irving swap, but the majority of the seven executives Scotto talked to didn't think that type of trade was likely.
So, for now, Irving remains out and the Nets will move on without him. Brooklyn has gotten off to a 7-4 start and likely will still be a playoff contender despite the absence of its starting point guard.
76ers Discussing Simmons Trade with Celtics?
Simmons missed all of training camp and the preseason, claiming he didn't want to play for the 76ers again. He eventually showed up to practices but said he wasn't mentally ready to take the court for Philadelphia, so he has yet to play this season.
However, it seems the 25-year-old's trade request could still be honored. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Boston Celtics have "engaged in conversations" with the Sixers. Don't expect anything to materialize too soon, though.
"Talks have been fluid with no traction as of yet, those sources say," Charania wrote.
But Charania added that the Celtics would have to part with All-Star forward Jaylen Brown in any potential Simmons trade, so they wouldn't be acquiring the All-Star point guard without sending decent return back to the 76ers. Is this something Boston is OK with doing? That remains unclear at this point.
As for Philadelphia, it has got off to a great start without Simmons, winning eight of its first 10 games before dropping its past two contests against the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks.
However, NBA reporter Marc Stein noted that a 76ers team source told him that the team "never expected to start so well given the Simmons saga that has hung over them since Day 1 of training camp on top of how shorthanded they've been."
Still, Simmons is a talented player, and whether he ends up staying in Philadelphia or going elsewhere, he should make an impact for his team.
