The relationship between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers collapsed following their disappointing second-round playoff showing against the Atlanta Hawks.
After getting bounced from the postseason yet again, 76ers superstar Joel Embiid publicly called his teammate out for his offensive ineptness. Head coach Doc Rivers seemed to back Embiid in the feud. This led to an intense war of words between Simmons’ camp and Embiid’s camp.
It even got to the point where Philly made its asking price for Simmons a matter of public record. And yet despite that, and in the face of promises that a trade would occur ASAP, nothing has materialized up to this point.
It appears Simmons has grown tired of all the delays.
According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Simmons has essentially given the Sixers two options: trade me or watch me sit.
“In a meeting with the 76ers last week in Los Angeles, Simmons told team co-managing partner Josh Harris, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand and coach Doc Rivers that he no longer wants to remain a Sixer,” Pompey wrote.
“Sources said the three-time All-Star also does not intend to report to training camp.”
None of this should come as a surprise. Simmons’ camp has signaled for weeks now that he is prepared to go to extreme lengths to get dealt and that he is ready for things to get ugly. What precisely that will entail remains to be seen.
At least two teams have stepped forward with serious offers for Simmons, only to be rebuked. The real reason for the Sixers’ lack of interest in doing anything with them was revealed this week. Whether that played any role in Simmons stepping up with an ultimatum to the organization is unclear.
LaMelo 👀👀👀👀https://t.co/NrQPmevCcz
— Game 7 (@game7__) August 31, 2021
What is clear-cut that is this situation has grown untenable. A change is necessary for all parties involved, and it needs to happen imminently.
Based on everything coming out right now, it’s safe to assume this fiasco will get a lot worse before it gets better.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
