NBA Draft Rumors: Sixers Shows Great Interest In Ben Simmons and May Pass Ingram to LA Lakers
LA Lakers left joyously from Tuesday night's draft lottery after getting the second overall pick in this year's NBA draft that takes place in June. For the first time, the lottery didn't seem to move either up or down with Philadelphia 76ers only the franchise picking ahead of the purple and gold team. The question looming on everyone's mind is will the Sixers choose LSU's Ben Simmons over Duke's Brandon Ingram?
According to a report by Sporting News Australia, the Sixers are close to choosing Simmons over Ingram. Insider sources point out that the Philadelphia-based franchise will not hesitate in signing Simmons in as LSU's star player appears to be on their talent radar.
If the Sixers are really keen on getting Simmons to the fold, that would leave Ingram to the fold. Already, the 6'9" small forward has proven himself as a refined yet versatile hardcourt athlete with a strong defensive presence owing to his 7'3" wingspan. In today's NBA, Ingram would be a big boost Lakers' rebuilding efforts under Luke Walton this offseason with a young roster composed mainly of point guard D'Angelo Russell, shooting guard Jordan Clarkson and power forwards Julius Randle and Larry Nance, the Bleacher Report stated.
As for the Sixers, Simmons is more than a good catch at 6'10" and 240 pounds with athletic prowess coupled with natural basketball instincts. Furthermore, there's the Australian roots that a number of online sports media outfits have been talking about. Sixers' present director of performance R&D is David T. Martin who worked for the Australian Institute of Sport until moving to Philadelphia last year was Australian-born like Simmons. Even more so, the team's current head coach Brett Brown also coached Simmons' dad, Dave, while the latter was with the Melbourne Tigers in the early days.
If the Sixers have already made up their mind on Simmons, then the LSU star would probably start rethinking on a shoe deal with Adidas that is hanging on the balance. The sponsorship offer worth $10 million plus other incentives would be thrown off the table if Philadelphia decides to sign Simmons to their roster.
Currently, the Sixers need more than enough star power to get their playing record straight. The franchise had been at the bottommost part of the NBA with the league's worst ever record (10-72) in the regular season. The last time the Sixers made a good draft decision upon winning the lottery was when the drafted Hall of Fame point guard Allen Iverson back in 1996 as per Sydney Morning Herald report.
