The Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons are headed toward a messy divorce as a tenuous situation has turned ugly and it has turned into a circus. The Sixers have begun training camp and the 25-year old 3-time All-Star has yet to report to the team in order to force his trade.
The Sixers have all had their own opinions on the situation, none louder than Joel Embiid who fired back at Simmons, but it’s clear that the situation is what it is and it’s only going to get worse at this point until the Sixers finally move him.
They have not paid him the $8.25 million that he was owed on Friday and the counter move from Simmons is that he could report and just tell the team that he is hurt and he is unable to compete. At this point, Simmons and his camp are willing to do everything they can in order to get a trade done.
However, this seems as if it’s something that has been building up for a long time. Keith Pompey of The Inquirer put out a piece detailing the trade request and everything that has led to it.
The relationship between Simmons and the team has never been smooth as Pompey reports:
From the start, the Sixers and Simmons never felt like a perfect fit. Despite being a first-overall pick, this team was never really his squad. Some sources close to Simmons thought that became more apparent after the team hired Daryl Morey as president of basketball operations in November.
“This entire situation is not about Ben Simmons and the fans of Philly,” a source said. “It’s not about Ben Simmons being able to overcome the loss to the Hawks. It’s not any of that, and they know that. What is this? This is the relationship running its course. …. It’s never been smooth at all.”
Pompey’s report includes that the source acknowledges that Simmons has to improve as a player. The free-throw shooting in the playoffs is just unacceptable and he has to add a jump shot to his arsenal whether he likes it or not. That will follow him wherever he goes, but the source told Pompey that the relationship is just over.
Pompey reports:
“But that doesn’t negate that the relationship is done,” another source said. “This is just a life thing. Sometimes in life, relationships come to a head. That’s what this is. It just happened to be in sports. In the event that Ben does show up here, it’s not going to be in uniform. Just get rid of this guy, please.”
As far as suitors go, the Indiana Pacers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Detroit Pistons, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Toronto Raptors, and the San Antonio Spurs all have an interest in acquiring Simmons.
A league source said the Timberwolves, Pacers, Cavaliers, Pistons, Raptors and Spurs are still inquiring about Ben Simmons’ availability.
Simmons vs. Sixers: An inside look at a messy NBA divorce https://t.co/pF1YNcWHBK via @phillyinquirer
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 2, 2021
The Sixers and Simmons are going to end this messy relationship soon, but it is sad it got to this point. Philadelphia made him the No. 1 pick in 2016, but it was clear that he was the Robin to Embiid’s Batman. It’s true that it was never his team and he will look to take his talents elsewhere and start anew.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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