The Philadelphia 76ers will convene for training camp on Sept. 28 over in Camden, NJ to begin preparation for the 2021-22 season and it is widely expected that they will not have Ben Simmons with them to begin camp.
While it will probably be true that Simmons will at least miss some training camp as he waits for his trade request to be granted, there is an expectation that he will show up to camp at some point.
The Sixers have been wanting an All-Star in return for Simmons and now it appears that Philadelphia will remain patient in those talks. The team wants to have him in camp as they are unwilling to settle for pennies on the dollar for one of the game’s brightest young stars.
Per Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier:
The 76ers are expecting/hoping Simmons will be back playing with the team soon, according to an NBA source.
Simmons, 25, told the Sixers late last month that he wanted to be traded and didn’t plan to report to camp, which begins Sept. 28 in Camden. The Simmons camp, including mega-agent Rich Paul, has given no indication anything has changed over the past 3½ weeks.
“It’s bumpy right now,” the source said. “Right now, they’re saying he’s not going to show up at the beginning. Eventually he’s going to show up. (The Sixers will) go from there.”
The Simmons situation will be interesting to keep an eye on all throughout the coming weeks leading up to training camp. While this is hanging over the franchise a bit like a dark cloud, it is imperative that Philadelphia gets some fair value in return for the 3-time All-Star. If they can at least have him with the team until December, when more of the league will be available to be traded, it would be a big help for their trade cause.
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=51077]
[lawrence-related id=51085,51074,51080]