Disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons will not report to training camp and has no intention of ever playing for the Sixers again, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Simmons is perfectly aware of the possible penalties the franchise can levy on him for holding out, but that isn't stopping him from doing all he can to force his way to a new team. The Sixers have been driving a hard bargain in trade talks so far, but perhaps things will change now that Simmons is officially going to sit out. Or, perhaps Daryl Morey will hold firm and Philly will just penalize Simmons for what he's doing until the right deal is on the table.
While there have been questions about Ben Simmons' future in Philly for a while, this whole thing came to a head in last season's playoffs when the Sixers fell short against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round. Simmons' crunch-time failures, highlighted by his infamous failure to take an easy layup/dunk in Game 7, resulted in a ton of blowback. Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers both tossed Simmons under the bus after that, and he's not happy about it.
Simmons still has four years and $147 million left on his contract, which complicates matters. While obviously still a great player who can make an impact on both ends, his offensive shortcomings when it matters is limiting what other teams want to give up for him. Meanwhile, the Sixers are trying to extract a lot out of a deal involving a three-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
There have been a number of teams rumored to be in on Simmons, but nobody has matched Philly's asking price. The Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers are some of the notable teams that have been linked to Ben Simmons.
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