The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to draft LSU’s Ben Simmons with the no. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft next Thursday. Simmons hasn’t scheduled workouts with any teams, including the Sixers, but confirmed that he would have no issue playing in Philly.
ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that the Sixers met with Simmons for the first time in formal fashion, looking to establish an early relationship and rapport heading into the draft next week:
Sources with knowledge of the meeting said Friday that new Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo and coach Brett Brown — in the latest signal Philadelphia plans to take LSU’s Simmons with the first pick in next Thursday’s draft — headlined a contingent of team officials that ?came to Cleveland to dine with Simmons and agent Rich Paul before Thursday’s Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
The Sixers, sources said, came away impressed by the 20 pounds of muscle Simmons is said to have added to his physique since the end of the college season and viewed the meeting as the start of “building a relationship” with the player they are strongly expected to select ahead of Duke’s Brandon Ingram with the first pick next week.
The Sixers held a private workout and meeting with Brandon Ingram as due diligence. It’s wise to at least assess Ingram so they can make an objective decision. It was even reported that the team was pondering Jamal Murray with the no. 1 overall pick.
But all roads are presumably leading to Ben Simmons becoming a 76er on June 25. This meeting only furthers that plot as it gives Bryan Colangelo and Brett Brown more insight as to who Simmons is as a person. Their desire to begin building this relationship ahead of the draft suggests that they are finalizing their decision to draft Simmons no. 1 overall.
