The Sacramento Kings are out of the Ben Simmons sweepstakes.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Sacramento has ended their pursuit of the mercurial Sixers guard after Philadelphia's asking price was deemed too high to acquire Simmons' services.
ESPN Sources: The Sacramento Kings ? one of the most aggressive teams in the market and once an eager suitor for Philadelphia?s Ben Simmons ? have ended pursuit of a deal with the 76ers and turned elsewhere in trade talks. Story soon.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 28, 2022
This has been a common sentiment shared throughout the Association, as General Manager Daryl Morey appears to be overestimating Simmons' value following a tumultuous performance in last year's postseason. Other teams rumored to be interested in the 25-year-old include the Lakers, Timberwolves, Pacers, Hawks, Knicks, Celtics, Trail Blazers, and Cavaliers.
Simmons has yet to appear in a game for Philadelphia this season.
The Kings, who are on track to miss the postseason for an NBA record 16th straight season, are expected to be one of the more active teams at this year's deadline. Sacramento appears open to shopping near every player on their roster not named De'Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton. They reportedly had a deal in place before the regular season that would have sent Buddy Hield to the Lakers before LA switched gears to Russell Westbrook.
The Kings are back in action tomorrow against the aforementioned Sixers, where they will look to snap a five-game losing streak. You can find the odds for that matchup tomorrow over on FanDuel Sportsbook.
