Three weeks before the trade deadline, Daryl Morey had an interview on 97.5 The Fanatic.

The Philadelphia 76ers are seeking a trade of Ben Simmons in the backdrop of Joel Embiid having another MVP caliber season.

"I think it's less likely than likely, but hopefully I'm wrong," Morey said about a trade. "Look, it won't be from lack of trying. We have a whole team of front office [personnel], it's all we do. We have no other job that matters, it's all we're working on. And I only say less likely, it won't be because we don't want to do it, it will be because for whatever reason, I mean I can tell you that these other 29 teams, none of them wake up and say, hey, today, how can I help the 76ers get better? They're all worried about their own teams. The main reason I say less likely than likely is it takes two or three to tango. Trades are not easy to construct in this league, there's a lot of risk aversion, there's a lot of decision-makers that have to be hurdled."

Morey boiled down the topic of a Simmons' trade to a binary decision. 

"I think there have been various reports of [Simmons'] issues [with the organization]," Morey said Thursday. "We just need to either correct those reasons, which so far we haven't been able to do, or make a trade. Those are really our two options. And so far, I get the fan frustration that we've not accomplished either."