NBA Trade Rumors: Ben Simmons to reportedly ‘welcome’ an opportunity to play for the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich

Philadelphia 76ers disgruntled star Ben Simmons continues to be a popular name in the NBA world as of late. After a number of reports last week which suggested that NBA stars such as Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic would be interested in the idea of playing with Simmons, it appears that Simmons would be open to the idea of playing for a specific coach if given the opportunity.

According to a report from NBA insider Marc Stein, Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons would be interested in playing for the San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich if given the opportunity. Stein writes in his article published to his Substack that San Antonio has made no secret of their attempted efforts to acquire Simmons in the past, but the 76ers organization continues to hold out for Portland's Damian Lillard in a trade or for another proven All-Star.

"...I’ve heard that Ben Simmons would welcome the opportunity to play for Popovich if the Spurs found a way to acquire him. San Antonio’s efforts to crash the trade hunt for Simmons have been well-chronicled, but Philadelphia remains intent on holding out for Portland’s Damian Lillard or another proven All-Star in a Simmons swap."

It would most likely be a tough move to pull off for the San Antonio Spurs if they were to try to get Ben Simmons in any deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. General manager Daryl Morey has reportedly been firm on his stance of trying to move the disgruntled star for a hefty return. Simmons has yet to play a game for the 76ers this year, and it remains to be seen if he will eventually return at all. As the 2021-22 NBA season continues to progress, that also means that the NBA trade deadline inches closer with each passing day.

If the San Antonio Spurs were to try to get Simmons in any deal, it would most likely require a large amount of draft compensation surrounded by the talented guard Dejounte Murray. The problem is that the Spurs might not have enough pieces to intrigue the Sixers to make any such deal. San Antonio could get creative and try to bring a third team into the deal to make the offer "sweeter," but that's usually when things get extremely tricky when it comes to any potential trades.

As of now, the noise is only going to get louder when it comes to any buzz surrounding a Ben Simmons trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. Fans will wait anxiously to see if the Sixers will eventually take a different stance and grant the wantaway Simmons his wish to be traded to another team.