Kendrick Perkins: Ben Simmons willing to sit training camp for a trade

ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins says Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is willing to sit out training camp for a trade.

The Philadelphia 76ers continue to retool their roster ahead of the 2021-22 season. The one player who has constantly been involved in trade rumors is star guard Ben Simmons, who had a tough postseason.

The Sixers have been taking trade calls on the 25-year old, but they have remained patient. They do not want to just give away the three-time All-Star. Philadelphia wants an All-Star player in return, and they will definitely keep their eye on the Damian Lillard situation with the Portland Trail Blazers.

As the offseason continues and the trade rumors grow louder, Simmons may be showing frustration with the organization. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported Simmons may not want to return to the team for the 2021-22 season, and Kendrick Perkins is adding to that fire.

Perkins hopped on “The Jump” at summer league in Las Vegas and stated:

Ben Simmons is not answering the phone calls. He don’t wanna be with the 76ers, and from what I heard, he’s willing to not report to training camp. And will go as far as it takes to get out of Philly, so I say where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

The Simmons situation needs to be fixed and has to be a top priority for team president Daryl Morey. While it seems a reach that Simmons is not answering phone calls, there is some truth to Perkins’ final statement in terms of there being fire if there is smoke.

For the record, training camp for the Sixers is set to begin on Sept. 28.

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

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=48920]

[lawrence-related id=49075,49069,49063]