Ben Simmons got what he wanted, and frankly, so did Joel Embiid.
Just ahead of the trade deadline, the 76ers traded Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden and Paul Millsap. Simmons had been sitting out the season to focus on his mental health after he was blamed for the Sixers’ playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks. When news of the trade broke, Embiid immediately tweeted the “RIP Bozo” meme.
On Tuesday, Simmons spoke to the media for the first time as a member of the Nets, and one answer, in particular, offered insight into how hard the two stars fell out over the past few months.
Simmons said he spoke to several members of the Sixers like GM Elton Brand, head coach Doc Rivers and forward Tobias Harris. According to Simmons, they were all happy for him to get back on the floor and into a different situation. But there was no effort to smooth things over with Embiid on his way out.
Ben Simmons did not speak with Joel Embiid on his way out of Philadelphia pic.twitter.com/GPv67XrEoh
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) February 15, 2022
In a follow-up question to his answer about speaking with some Sixers players, Simmons was asked if he spoke with Embiid. He answer was short, but it said it all about where his relationship with Embiid is currently at.
“No, I did not.”
Embiid was among the people to publicly criticize Simmons for that playoff series loss to Atlanta. In recent weeks, Embiid also declined to call Simmons by name when answering questions about him during press conferences. But there was an opportunity to patch up those ill feelings. Embiid is getting to play alongside a dynamic playmaker in Harden. Simmons is joining Durant and leaving a toxic situation for him in Philadelphia. It would have made sense for the two stars to speak and move on after playing four seasons together.
The fact that no conversation took place said it all. Assuming Simmons is back for the Nets-Sixers game on March 10, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see how the two interact on the court.
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