This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Top NBA prospect Ben Simmons continued his delicate dance with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, with the Philadelphia Inquirer and ESPN reporting that he finally had consented to a workout with the team. ESPN's Marc J. Stein has sources telling him that this "is the strongest indication yet that Simmons and agent Rich Paul have received a promise from Philadelphia officials that they intend to select him with the number one overall pick" in Thursday's draft, and Chris Haynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that's exactly the case.
Stein adds that Simmons would not have consented to the workout without a promise from the 76ers that they will use the No. 1 pick on him. He previously had declined to work out for the team, though he did have a face-to-face meeting with Philadelphia officials last week in which he provided his medical records.
The Sixers might not be done after their No. 1 pick, either. Former Providence coach Tim Welsh told Comcast SportsNet that Philly is trying to engineer a trade with the Boston Celtics at No. 3 to select Friars point guard Kris Dunn, with Welsh saying that Boston would prefer to get Nerlens Noel and not Jahlil Okafor in return.
The Celtics have eight picks in Thursday's draft, four of them in the top 31.