Philadelphia 76ers: Ben Simmons Drama
Ever since the Philadelphia 76ers lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks on June 20, the Sixers’ front-office has been looking to trade Ben Simmons, but now over three months later, Simmons is still on this roster and is currently holding out.
He has refused to talk with the 76ers about returning to the team and most recently, he even told his teammates not to fly out to meet with him in California because Simmons wants nothing to do with the organization!
The 76ers have a real mess on their hands because while they would probably be better off without Ben Simmons on their roster, they cannot seem to get the value they want for the 3x All-Star.
Regardless of what you think about him, Simmons is a high-level talent and very skilled player in this league, so if the Sixers just trade of him for the sake of getting rid of him, they will immediately fall down in the league standings to the point where they are no longer contenders.
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Last season, Philly was the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference and one of the best teams in the league. If they had defeated the Hawks, they would have had a real shot at going to the NBA Finals, so they are not too far off from finally breaking through and contending for a title. However, trading Ben Simmons for future value and draft picks does them no good right now.
This is a really tough spot to be in as a franchise with a player who wants nothing to do with management. Ben Simmons skipped out on Media Day yesterday and did not report to the team for the first day of training camp, so it seems like he holds all the cards in these negotiations.
Sure, he is going to get fined, but Simmons is making over $30M this season, so he can definitely afford to hold out as long as he wants.
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The clock is ticking for Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers front office and if they do not make a move before the start of the 2021-22 season to trade Ben Simmons, they could very well end up as the team that regressed the most from last season to this season.
What happens with Simmons and the 76ers is the biggest storyline and headline as we get ready to begin the new season.
