As the Philadelphia 76ers begin to gather momentum in trade conversations for All-Star guard Ben Simmons, the Portland Trail Blazers reiterated that one of the Sixers' top targets -- All-NBA guard Damian Lillard -- is not available to be discussed, sources told ESPN.
The Sixers and Blazers connected in recent days and Portland's interim general manager, Joe Cronin, made clear to Philadelphia that the franchise still plans to continue building around Lillard, sources said.
Nevertheless, the Sixers are becoming more engaged on multiple fronts in talks centered on Simmons.