While fans and experts alike believe Ben Simmons is the one to blame for the offseason drama surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins suggests otherwise.
According to Perk, Simmons has remained professional for the Sixers amid the trade rumors surrounding him since the start of the offseason. However, they showed they no longer want him with their lack of commitment–all while showing a ton of love for big man Joel Embiid.
“There’s no repairing the relationship between Ben Simmons and the 76ers! They gave Embiid the estate this summer and Ben feels like he’s been a pro through trade rumors and a half assed commitment from the team,” Perkins wrote on Twitter.
“The Ben Simmons chapter of the process is done. Carry on…”
To be fair, there is some truth to what Kendrick Perkins said. After all, right after their playoffs exit in the second round against the Atlanta Hawks, the Sixers really looked like they are done with Ben Simmons. In fact, head coach Doc Rivers seeming threw the Australian playmaker under the buss when he said he's not sure Simmons is a championship-caliber point guard.
While Rivers eventually backpedaled on his comments and threw some praises for Simmons, it was deemed nothing but damage control in order to save some value for the 25-year-old as they try to trade him.
With that said, it's not really surprising to see Simmons demand a trade from the team, even giving them an ultimatum as he doesn't plan to report to training camp.
Then again, it's hard to blame the Sixers for being frustrated with their point-forward. While Perk is correct that Philly could have handled it better, Simmons' efforts in improving his game certainly didn't give the team a lot of confidence about his future.
It's safe to say both teams share a part of the blame. In the end though, it really doesn't look like the Simmons-Philadelphia relationship can still be saved.
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