Report: Lakers reached out to 76ers to discuss Ben Simmons trade

It was previously reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams interested in Philadelphia 76ers star point guard Ben Simmons.

A deal sending Russell Westbrook to the 76ers and Simmons to the Lakers would make some sense financially, but NBA insider Jake Fischer explained earlier this week that Philadelphia is not interested in making that deal.

Fischer recently offered some more insight into the matter.

“The only outgoing call I confirmed was to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons,” Fischer said regarding trade calls the Lakers have made involving Westbrook. “… When I got the information that they called about Ben, the conversation pretty much was, ‘We’re interested in Ben. How would we get there?’ The obvious solution is Russell Westbrook. He’s not a player on that Sixers list that they have.”

It still sounds like a deal involving Westbrook and Simmons is unlikely.

However, the Lakers are clearly exploring their options, which is an interesting development. The team’s Big 3 hasn’t produced the results some people were hoping for, and it sounds like L.A. isn’t opposed to making drastic changes as a result.

For now, however, the Lakers’ focus is on the Dallas Mavericks, as those two squads will meet for an intriguing matchup on Wednesday. Luka Doncic will miss the game for Dallas.

A win for the Lakers would give the team three in a row. Of course, if the squad suddenly starts playing at a high level, then L.A. might become reluctant to explore any other trade talks involving Westbrook.