Ben Simmons was not present at Sixers media day on Monday, but president Daryl Morey and several players expressed hope that the three-time All-Star may still return to the team for another championship run.
Joel Embiid said that he “loves” playing with Simmons and that he hopes Simmons changes his mind about being finished with the franchise – but according to a new report citing sources close to Simmons, the partnership between Embiid and Simmons has no chance of a revival.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Sam Amick, people in Simmons’ camp weren’t swayed by anything that was said on media day – and were instead annoyed by how Daryl Morey framed the situation and insisted Simmons could return. Simmons is reportedly finished trying to partner with Sixers star Joel Embiid, and is surprised he hasn’t been traded yet.
Via The Athletic:
“People who have intimate knowledge of how he sees this situation continue to insist that he’s done playing with Embiid. There’s nothing personal about this choice, it seems, but the 25-year-old Simmons has clearly decided that his career is better off without Embiid blocking the runways in the paint that he so badly needs to succeed.
As he sees it, sources say, the organization’s choice to build its basketball ecosystem around Embiid’s style simply isn’t conducive to the way he needs to play. So while Embiid insisted to reporters on Monday that he wants Simmons back, this much is clear: The feeling is not mutual.
‘It has run its course,’ the source said of their pairing.”
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire.
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