Sixers meet with Ben Simmons in Cleveland
The 76ers had their first face-to-face meeting with the player they’re likely to take first overall.
The 76ers had their first face-to-face meeting with the player they're likely to take first overall.
A league source confirmed an ESPN report that the Sixers president of basketball operation Bryan Colangelo and Brett Brown had dinner with the former Louisiana State power forward Ben Simmons and his agent, Rich Paul, Thursday night in Cleveland. They met before Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Sixers visit did not include putting Simmons through a basketball workout. However, ESPN reported that Sixers were the only team as of Thursday that was granted direct access to Simmons during the pre-draft process.
Colangelo and Brown walked away impressed that Simmons added 20 pounds of muscle to his frame.
Colangelo had said on Monday that the franchise was planning a trip to Cleveland to meet with Simmons.
The team has the first, 24th and 26th picks in this Thursday's NBA draft.
Simmons is a 6-foot-10, 260-pound ball handler who would be in position to initiate the Sixers offense. Extremely versatile, the Australian can play small forward, power forward, and center in certain small-ball situations. His skill-set would put him in a unique situation as a Sixers distributor.
Follow and contact PMN 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers