USA Today via Reuters
May 26, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) reacts after dunking the ball against the Washington Wizards during the first quarter of game two in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
May 26, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) reacts after dunking the ball against the Washington Wizards during the first quarter of game two in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Drafted in 2017, Ben Simmons was meant to be one player who helped turn the tide in Philadelphia. As an organization, the Philadelphia 76ers have worked to keep Ben Simmons (and Joel Embiid) at their core. What no one expected, however, was how quickly the team’s relationship with Simmons would go from bad to worse.
Anyone following the NBA is aware of the whole ordeal, Simmons desperately looking for an out. His surprising return to the city was seen as a silver lining, hopeful of his reconciliation with the 76ers. However, as the 2021-22 season begins, Simmons had ended up suspended from their opening game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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Ben Simmons looking to leave the Philadelphia 76ers as soon as possible
“Ben Simmons is willing to do WHATEVER it takes to get out of Philadelphia”
– @ShamsCharania
(Via The Pat McAfee Show ) pic.twitter.com/STq0velzMk— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) October 20, 2021
According to recent reports, all Simmons wants is to leave the 76ers. His demand for a trade has been around for days, the situation escalating after their recent practice debacle.
As mentioned, Simmons is currently suspended for one game, his behavior “detrimental to the team”. If that was not enough, he was asked to leave the practice by head coach Doc Rivers. Simmons refused to take part in any of the drills, which resulted in Rivers asking him to leave.
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“I just thought he was a distraction today,” Rivers said. “I didn’t think he wanted to do what everybody else was doing. It was early. It wasn’t a big deal”. Rivers apparently only asked Simmons to leave, following which they continued their training.
Simmons is also fined $1.4 million by the 76ers. This is a result of his four missed preseason games, along with missed practices, workouts meetings, and so on. With this suspension, Simmons will end up losing $227,000.
USA Today via Reuters
May 31, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) reacts after the basket during the first quarter against the Washington Wizards during game four in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Will Simmons ever play with the 76ers again?
The conflict started during the 76ers-Atlanta Hawks Game 7 during the 2021 playoffs, Simmons wanting consistently. Embiid, who is committed to his team, has also voiced his opinion on Simmons. He spoke about not babysitting anyone, and not caring about Simmons anymore. “He does whatever he wants. That’s not my job. That’s [the front office’s job]”.
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Embiid is only focused on the team’s betterment, looking to win the elusive title. Rivers, who has often spoken about Simmons, continues to hope for a positive outcome. That being said, the Simmons-76ers conflict will continue to remain unpredictable as the 2021-22 season progresses.
