The Philadelphia 76ers have informed Ben Simmons' camp that he'll be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, according to Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com and ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
All signs point to the 76ers taking Ben Simmons with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft
The 76ers have reportedly made a promise to Simmons that he’ll be the top pick.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Simmons finally worked out with the Sixers on Tuesday morning after he was expected to bypass all team workouts. ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that the workout was likely conditional on the Sixers promising Simmons that he’ll be the top pick, and the forward is apparently already “trusting the process” in Philadelphia:
Simmons had long been viewed as the top pick in this draft, although Brandon Ingram received some No. 1 hype, as well. But ever since the Sixers won the NBA Draft Lottery a month ago, the signs have been pointing toward Simmons heading to Philadelphia.
Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding reported that in the immediate aftermath of the lottery, the Sixers were leaning toward Simmons, and Derek Bodner of Philly Mag reported similarly two weeks later. There was some consternation about a week ago over the Sixers not meeting with Simmons, but the two sides met in Cleveland during the NBA Finals, and that was followed up by Tuesday's workout.
With Simmons now almost certainly heading to Philadelphia, that'll only embolden the Sixers' front office to make a deal to balance out the roster and lessen the logjam in the frontcourt. Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel are the two most likely candidates to go, and rumors continue to swirl around the two young big men leading up to the draft.
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