All summer long, the Philadelphia 76ers have been trying to upgrade their roster around superstar Joel Embiid in order to property contend for an NBA title. After a disappointing Round 2 finish, the Sixers have been dangling Ben Simmons out there hoping to acquire a big name.

That big name was meant to be Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard who is at the top of Philadelphia’s wish list. However, Lillard is currently not being made available for trade by the Blazers and Lillard has not requested a trade either.

That meant that the Sixers were trying to remain as patient as possible to see if Lillard will be made available soon, but now that Simmons has requested his own trade out of Philadelphia, they have to make a move soon.

However, it does seem as if Lillard would rather go elsewhere in the East, like the New York Knicks for example.

Per Chris Broussard of Fox Sports 1:

Damian Lillard is not gonna force his way out just yet, and I don’t think he’s as high on him in Philly as the rest of us are. I think he’s higher on New York in the East than he is on Philly because he’s not that keen on going to somebody else’s team.

"I was told Ben Simmons is willing to go play anywhere, for any of the other 29 teams, except for the Philadelphia 76ers." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/AuG8PbRNky

— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) September 1, 2021

Broussard does have some type of point about Lillard coming to Philadephia and that is the fact that it won’t be his team, it will be Embiid’s. Maybe that will play a factor, but on the flip side, if Lillard were to request a trade, one would assume that the Sixers make the most sense because of the fact that they have more of a chance to win a championship.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!