NBA Rumors: Latest Trade Buzz on Ben Simmons, Marvin Bagley III, John Wall

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Matt Rourke/Associated Press

It’s possible that Ben Simmons will become the next star NBA player to get traded. He’s not playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, and he may never step on the court for them again. It will be interesting to see what the resolution ends up being for this ongoing saga.

Whether or not Simmons gets traded, there are sure to be some notable deals that take place during the 2021-22 season. It’s still early, so it may take a while before some big-name players switch teams. But at least one or two are likely to get dealt at some point over the next few months.

Here’s some of the latest trade buzz from around the NBA.

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Matt Rourke/Associated Press

There had been rumors about the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics discussing a potential Ben Simmons trade. And it appears they may have been true. However, it’s also possible that those talks won’t be advancing any further.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, providing the latest update on the conversations between the 76ers and Celtics. The reason those talks stalled? Boston may have thought Philadelphia was asking too much.

“The Celtics did engage the Sixers on Ben Simmons and had conversations, but those conversations weren’t something that the Celtics wanted to acquiesce to,” Charania said on the show. “When it comes to Jaylen Brown, they didn’t want to move Jaylen Brown for Ben Simmons. So unless Philadelphia gets more realistic, they’re not going to get what they want out of this possible scenario.”

Could Philadelphia and Boston work out a Simmons deal that doesn’t involve Brown? That’s unclear, but it also seems less likely a trade could be made, as the 76ers will want a decent return and Brown is one of the Celtics’ top assets.

However, if the two teams can work out a deal, Simmons would have interest in joining Boston, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

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Jose Luis Villegas/Associated Press

Marvin Bagley III doesn’t seem to have a long-term future with the Sacramento Kings, and the 22-year-old forward may not be with them for much longer. There’s been clear tension between Bagley and the Kings, as he’s played in only one of Sacramento’s first 13 games.

If Bagley ends up on the trade market, there already appears to be one interested suitor: the Detroit Pistons. According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Pistons are a “team to watch” in the Bagley situation, as they’ve been “tracking” him since last season.

Still, don’t expect a Bagley trade to materialize too quickly, at least over the next few weeks. 

“No trade anywhere is considered likely, sources stressed, until after Dec. 15 arrives and the league’s pool of players eligible to be dealt grows considerably,” Stein wrote. “That’s the date that trade restrictions on numerous players who signed new contracts in free agency in August gets lifted.”

Bagley is in his fourth NBA season and still has a lot of potential. And whether or not he ends up in Detroit, it seems likely that he could be leaving Sacramento.

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D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press

John Wall has dealt with numerous injuries during his NBA career. He’s healthy right now, but he’s not playing for the Houston Rockets, and he may not suit up anytime soon, either.

The Rockets are amid a rebuild, and they’d rather give minutes to players younger than the 31-year-old point guard. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on NBA Countdown that Houston also may not trade Wall despite him not having a role with the team.

“There are no plans for John Wall to play for the Rockets, and it’s becoming increasingly likely that John Wall may not play anywhere in the NBA this season because the cost of his contract right now is just too prohibitive,” Wojnarowski said on the show.

Wall is owed $92 million over the next two seasons. He has a player option for the 2022-23 season, and Wojnarowski noted that teams interested in acquiring him would want him to decline it, but that’s unlikely to happen as Wall surely wouldn’t be making as much that way.

After spending his first nine seasons with the Washington Wizards, Wall was traded to Houston in December 2020. He then averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 40 games last season.