Ben Simmons is one step closer to leaving the Philadelphia 76ers. On Tuesday, the All-Star point guard officially demanded a trade from the Sixers and it now feels just a matter of time before his much-anticipated exit comes to fruition.
As it turns out, however, Sixers superstar big man Joel Embiid may have played a hand in Simmons' impending departure. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports, these two stars haven't been on the same page for quite some time now:
But the issue was deeper than one play, one game, one series. The Simmons-Embiid rift had been escalating, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.
After an excellent regular season, the Sixers shockingly fell to the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the playoffs. Embiid, Simmons, and the rest of the team clearly weren't happy about the disappointing end to their season, but apparently, the beef between Embiid and Simmons, in particular, had been brewing even before their gutting playoff exit.
Did Joel Embiid have a hand in Simmons' decision to leave Philadelphia? Did the Sixers front office have to choose one out of their two stars? If they did, then it is clear whose basket they're putting all their eggs in. After all, it isn't Embiid who's currently being shopped around in the trade market.
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