NBA prospect Ben Simmons declines pre-draft workout for 76ers

Ben Simmons, who many believe will be the top pick in this month's NBA draft, has so far declined thePhiladelphia 76ers' invitation to work out for the team, adecision Sixers president Bryan Colangelo insists will not prevent the team from selecting Simmons should they decide to draft him with the No. 1 overall pick.

"Everything that we get with our intel as it relates to Ben is that he would very much like to be selected No. 1,'' Colangelo said.

He also said that the team didn't know what was preventing Simmons from working out for the Sixers.

"His agent has decided that is the process they are undertaking," said Colangelo. "Why don't you call [Simmons' agent] Rich Paul and ask him. It has nothing to do with us and nothing to do with Philadelphia. Everybody goes about it a little differently. Sometimes players decide to work out, sometimes they decide not to work out."

By refusing to work out, Simmons could lead the 76ers to consider taking Duke star Brandon Ingram with the top pick.

The 6-foot-9, 190-pound Ingram, who averaged 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his lone season at Duke, has had lunch with Sixers head coach Brett Brown and met with many of the team's players at his workout, including big men Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid.

"Brandon is everything we thought he was. Obviously in a one-on-none workout you aren't going to learn everything about a player, but that is why we scouted a lot of basketball games, watched a lot of tape," Colangelo said. "He is a versatile forward that can handle the ball, shoot the ball. ... He is a silky-smooth small forward."

When asked whether he thought the team would pick Ingram over Simmons, Colangelo said, "It changes every day."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report