All signs leading up to the 2016 NBA Draft indicate that Ben Simmons is a lock to the 76ers, leaving Brandon Ingram a clear path to Los Angeles
For quite some time, the outcome of the 2016 NBA Draft has seemed like a formality. That’s the way things appeared for much of the college basketball season and even for a bit after. However, the notion that the Philadelphia 76ers might not take Ben Simmons or that Simmons would be able to “force” his way out of being taken No. 1 so to play with the Los Angeles Lakers started to gain some steam.
Pretty much all of that steam was cleared from the room on Tuesday afternoon, though.
Simmons held a private workout with the 76ers on Tuesday, which is a strong indication that Philly has made a promise to select the LSU product at No. 1, per Marc Stein at ESPN:
Sources say Ben Simmons' workout for the Sixers today is the strongest indication yet Philadelphia has promised to select Simmons at No. 1.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 21, 2016
Stein continue with this report, saying that the belief around the NBA is that Simmons’ agent (Rich Paul) would not have let his client hold a private workout if that kind of deal and/or promise wasn’t already on the table:
There is little chance, sources say, Simmons' agent Rich Paul would have granted Philly permission to hold a workout without such a promise.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 21, 2016
As if all of the signs weren’t already there after attending the workout, Simmons only seemed to further confirm his 2016 NBA Draft fate as he posted a picture of himself in the gym with the Sixers with the telling caption, “Trust the process:”
That really doesn’t leave much doubt for anyone at that point that the Sixers are taking Ben Simmons with the top pick in the NBA Draft. Moreover, that would also seemingly leave the Lakers with Brandon Ingram as their top option at the No. 2 pick.
As has been said time and again, Ingram is the ideal fit for the current Lakers roster, even if he does have slightly less upside or potential for immediate impact than Simmons.
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Of course, stranger things have happened than a team at No. 2 making a surprise selection. Could the Lakers shock the world and take someone other than Ingram? It’s a possibility. What is almost certain, though, is that the only team with a shot at getting Ben Simmons in the 2016 NBA Draft is the Sixers.