According to The Athletic reporter Sam Amick, if the 76ers don't send them away before the deadline, Ben Simmons plans to stay out of action for the rest of the season.
Since Simmons refused to report to the team at the start of training camp, the 76ers have been actively seeking a deal to send off the disgruntled star.
The league's deal deadline is Feb. 10 local time, and the 76ers have tried a variety of options to meet Simmons' trade requirements, including packing him up with forward Harris and trying to get young guard Darlon Fox from the Kings.
The 76ers are currently in the midst of stiff competition in the Eastern Conference playoffs — just 2.5 wins behind the top-place Bulls, and it would obviously be a big help to them if they could trade Simmons back for a ready-to-use player. However, the 76ers have so far stuck to their position: they won't give up on Simmons easily unless they get a player with great talent who can change the game in return.
![Danny Smith must have been very envious of Horton Tucker. Although Smith was the no. 9 pick in the first round, and Horton Tucker was only the no. 16 pick in the second round, the talent gap was simply too big. But Tucker's life is better than that[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)