76ers Will Take Ben Simmons With First Overall Pick, Reports Say

Philadelphia, PA -- It seems all but official: the Philadelphia 76ers will draft Ben Simmons with the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

At least, that is, according to reports that came out in the wake of Simmons' Tuesday workout with the team.

Over the months leading up to Thursday's draft, there had been much speculation over whether the seemingly eternally basement dwelling Sixers would select Simmons or Duke freshman Brandon Ingram.

ESPN cited "sources" which said that the 76ers told Simmons on Tuesday that he would be the number one pick.

Then he posted this on his Instagram feed:

"Trust the process," of course is the famous - or perhaps now infamous - phrase used to maintain faith in the Sixers lengthy rebuilding process.

Simmons, who is Australian, is a 6'10, 240 pound power forward out of Louisiana State University. He's 19, and only played his freshman season at LSU before declaring for the draft.

While he may very well be the top talent in the draft, his arrival would create an even more significant logjam of big men on the Sixers roster. The Sixers currently have Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid, and Nerlens Noel in their frontcourt. All three have been drafted highly by the Sixers within the past few years.

According to numerous rumors and reports, the team is seeking to trade any one of Okafor, Embiid, or Noel in exchange for a top 7 draft pick. They would ostensibly use that pick to draft a guard.

The Sixers won the lottery for the first pick after posting the worst record in the NBA in the 2015-2016 season.

The NBA Draft begins at 8 p.m. Thursday.