One of the biggest storylines in the NBA in the 2021-22 season has been the saga going on between the Philadelphia 76ers and star guard Ben Simmons. A lot has happened over the past couple of months dating back to Game 7 of the Eastern semifinals.
Simmons and the Sixers were ousted by the Atlanta Hawks at home and things have not been great between Simmons and the franchise. He officially requested his trade in late August, but Philadelphia has maintained two things: they want him back with the team and they also want a top 25 player in return for him if they do make a big trade.
Simmons reported to the Sixers on Oct. 11 after starting the season with a holdout, but he has yet to play for Philadelphia this season through 37 games. There have been plenty of reports that a deal could be happening soon, but there has been no indication that things will change.
NBPA executive director Michele Roberts hopped on SiriusXM Radio with Antonio Daniels and Rick Kamla and she blamed the Sixers for what is going on in Philadelphia:
This is not an issue that emerged at the start of the season. There has been an issue with this player and that team for a while. Rumor has it promises were made about being able to move the player and obviously those promises either weren’t kept or couldn’t be kept. But at some point there’s got to be, as best as I can tell, they have been at loggerheads since the beginning of the season with very little communication between the player and the team. I just don’t roll like that. I don’t roll like that. If I got a problem, we’re going to sit down and we’re going to figure it out. I’m not gonna say ‘Well you call me, no you call me’. That’s not the way grown ups should behave. That’s the way grown ups are behaving, but frankly, and blame and accuse me if you want for taking the player’s side, OK that’s probably not an unfair accusation, but the way I view it is the team is in a better position to be able to resolve this than Ben can alone. The lack of communication between the team and the player is what I find to be totally infuriating.
Simmons is a 25-year old 3-time All-Star who makes a huge impact on the game despite not being some big-time scorer. It’s obvious that the Sixers are missing his presence out on the floor, or at least somebody who can replace him, and it is just an all-around tough situation.
Roberts added:
It clearly isn’t working to anyone’s benefit. He’s a great player and Philadelphia should be playing this guy or getting somebody else that can play in his stead, but I just don’t see how this is helpful. If I’m a Philadelphia fan, I’m pissed.
“If I’m a Philadelphia fan, I’d be pissed.”@TheNBPA Executive Director @MRobertsNBPA tells @RickKamlaSports and @adaniels33 she would like the Sixers to do more to resolve the Ben Simmons situation. pic.twitter.com/ZklUzemQKr
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) January 5, 2022
The trade deadline is set for Feb. 10 and it will be interesting to see if president Daryl Morey and the franchise can find a deal for Simmons or they can convince him to come back and play for them again.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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