Dan Sanford

Sports Editor

das6267@psu

The rift between the Philadelphia 76ers and their disgruntled forward Ben Simmons has escalated significantly. He remains firm on his trade request which he made in late August.

In a meeting with Sixers co-managing partner Josh Harris, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand and coach Doc Rivers, Simmons made it clear that he does not want to remain with the Sixers. Presently, Simmons remains in Los Angeles and was not present for Monday’s media day. Although Morey believes the situation is not beyond repair, Simmons is not expected to be a part of training camp.

“I think there’s a lot of hope […] We expect him back. We expect him to be a 76er,” Morey stated, citing Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his conflict and subsequent resolution with the organization as a cause for optimism. Although he did not state any of the organization’s personal intentions, he did mention that potential disciplinary measures could follow as a result of the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

Meanwhile, Simmons has reached the point where he does not want to meet with his former teammates. According to reports by CBS and Sportsnet, he has asked former teammates to refrain from contacting him or traveling to visit him with the intent to persuade Simmons to return to Philadelphia. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris expressed a desire to discuss the issues and sort them out in person, as well as regret that they had not spoken to Simmons sooner about the flak he received. Embiid, in particular, had grown closer to him as a teammate than he had ever been: “If I didn’t like playing with him, I’m honest, I would say. But I do love playing with him because he adds so much to our team.” Simmons remains persistent on his position, however, and has asked his teammates to refrain from wasting their time by visiting him.

Simmons, the 76ers’ first-overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, was long considered one of the team’s cornerstones to build around. However, after the team’s disappointing exit in the second round of the 2021 NBA playoffs, Simmons took much of the blame for the team’s underperformance. He had particular difficulty at the free-throw line, and became the worst free-throw shooter in postseason history with at least 67 attempts (34.2%), ironically surpassing numbers held by basketball legends Wilt Chamberlain (38%) and Shaquille O’Neal (37.4%). 

Although the Sixers finished first in the Eastern Conference and defeated the Washington Wizards handily in five games, they were eliminated by the Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the second round of the playoffs. Following Philadelphia’s elimination, Simmons’ critics also noted a general lack of aggressiveness on offense, as well as his inability to shoot. He did not attempt a single shot in the final quarter in five out of the seven games of the Atlanta series, which many attributed to a deterioration in confidence. Despite these ugly numbers, his teammates defended him. “It was not one guy who made mistakes,” Harris said.

With Simmons, Philadelphia remains a contender in the Eastern Conference. Without him, and with Tyrese Maxey running the point guard position, Sixers fans had better hope Morey gets a haul of picks and a star (or two) for Philly to stay on pace.