The Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics have been unable to come to a trade agreement, which has led to an impasse. For now, it’s unclear what will happen with Simmons and his future in Philly.
The ben simmons trade warriors is a story that has been in the news for quite some time now. There are many things that we don’t know about this situation, but there are also many things that we do know.
The Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons are still at odds, as they have been since the 76ers were ousted in the second round of the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks in June.
Simmons, who has a four-year deal with the team, wants to be moved. The 76ers want to trade him, but only for a return that matches how much they regard the three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defense selection, who is 25 years old.
So yet, no agreement has been reached. Both parties will be stuck in a deadlock until it happens.
Simmons has requested a trade out of Philadelphia, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and Simmons’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, and Sixers management met earlier this summer. Simmons has vowed to miss the start of training camp in order to put pressure on the Eagles to make a trade, according to sources.
With fewer than three weeks before training camp, Philadelphia, a city that has grown used to drama surrounding its basketball team, now has the league’s most thorny issue.
What brought us here?
League insiders have predicted Simmons’ departure from Philadelphia since he passed out of a wide-open dunk to Matisse Thybulle with under four minutes left in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Hawks.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers was questioned after that Game 7 defeat whether Simmons could be a championship-level point guard after vehemently supporting him during the season.
Rivers said, “I don’t know the solution to that.”
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Rivers supported Simmons throughout the season in part because it was his latest effort to utilize his press conferences to bolster the confidence of one of his important players, something he’d done successfully with players like Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics and DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Simmons’ name had been mentioned in James Harden trade discussions at the outset of the season, so Philadelphia was still hopeful he’d grow more ready to shoot.
None of it worked out in the end, with Simmons squandering a wide-open dunk.
Following a meeting between management and Simmons’ agent shortly after that humiliating Game 7 defeat, all parties decided to seek for a trade as the draft and free agency approached. The Sixers had discussions with a number of clubs over the next several weeks, according to sources, and many made what they thought to be serious offers.
The Sixers’ asking price for Simmons became apparent; the team wanted a high return, whether it was a star player, multiple first-round choices, or both.
Owner Joshua Harris and 76ers executives went to Los Angeles after the transaction season concluded in mid-August to meet with Simmons and agent Rich Paul. According to insiders, the Sixers planned to inform Simmons they couldn’t find a trade for him and wanted to put their disagreements aside and start the season on the same page.
Simmons, on the other hand, was adamant, informing Harris that he didn’t want to play for the club again and that if he wasn’t moved by the end of the month, he wouldn’t be attending training camp, according to sources.
It was argued that it was not Simmons’ duty to improve his trade worth, and that the Sixers should locate the best feasible deal and execute it immediately rather than waiting for a good start to the season to do so.
The 76ers and Ben Simmons are stuck in a stalemate as they try to trade their All-Star forward. Matt Slocum/AP Photo
Why hasn’t Simmons yet been dealt?
What’s the short answer? Due to the fact that Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal are now unavailable.
Over the course of his lengthy and successful career as an executive, Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, has proved three things: he isn’t scared of uncomfortable circumstances, he won’t make a deal just to make a deal, and he is always attempting to swing deals for stars.
The 76ers, like many other clubs around the league, are keeping a close eye on Lillard’s status in the hopes that he would ask to leave Portland. Lillard said earlier this summer that he didn’t believe the Blazers had a championship team and that he wanted to see upgrades. In terms of free-agent signings, Portland has had a quiet offseason.
Simmons is expected to stay on Philadelphia’s roster for the foreseeable future until there is any movement there — or another club comes in with a big offer for him individually.
Is it true that Simmons will not report to training camp?
Rich Paul hasn’t shied away from using this kind of strategy in the past. Tristan Thompson and JR Smith, two Klutch Sports clients, had lengthy contract talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers that lasted far into training camp and were only completed at the start of the regular season.
This is a unique circumstance. Simmons’ power is weakened by the fact that he is under contract for another four seasons. Holding out is one way he might put pressure on Philadelphia to make a deal, but Morey is unlikely to feel compelled to do so.
If Simmons fails to report and the 76ers do not punish him financially with a suspension, the NBA is likely to step in. The last thing the league needs is a precedent of contract players not to show up for training camp.
Have there been any recent instances of contract players failing to report to camp?
Jimmy Butler of the Minnesota Timberwolves came closest in 2018. Butler was unhappy that his deal was not renegotiated over the summer, and he felt that not everyone on the team was committed to winning. As a consequence, he pleaded with the company to trade him.
Butler’s circumstance was unique in that the Timberwolves let him to skip media day and the first few weeks of training camp to rehab his right knee. When Butler returned to training camp on Oct. 10, he caused a stir by confronting teammates, coaches, and front-office officials during his first practice.
Then-GM Scott Layden was one of the targets: “Scott, you f—-ing need me. You won’t be able to win without me, “Butler is alleged to have remarked.
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The youthful Timberwolves, who made the playoffs the previous season, began the season with a 3-7 record. Butler was moved to the 76ers on Nov. 12 after four consecutive defeats, where he helped Simmons and Embiid get to the second round of the playoffs before falling to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors.
Another example is when James Harden of the Rockets requested a trade last summer and was forced to miss the first week of training camp after failing to satisfy the NBA’s COVID-19 procedures.
Harden returned to practice on Dec. 14, but was ruled out of the Rockets’ season opener after being caught without a mask at an indoor party, a violation of the league’s health and safety rules that fined him $50,000. Before Harden was moved to Brooklyn in mid-January, Houston had a 3-6 start to the season.
A Simmons absence from training camp would be seen as more of an annoyance than a problem.
Unlike in Minnesota and Houston, when Butler and Harden were the best players on their respective teams, this is not the situation in Philadelphia. The 76ers have a solid core headed by Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, Thybulle, and Tyrese Maxey, as well as an MVP contender in Joel Embiid.
Philadelphia, with or without Simmons, is still a playoff club, although not one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
What are the financial ramifications of Simmons’ refusal to back down?
A player who fails to provide services will be suspended and fined up to 1/145th of his basic pay for each day he does not show up, according to Article VI, Section 1 (player behavior) of the collective bargaining agreement.
As a result, Simmons may lose $227,613 for each practice and game he misses. Prior to the 76ers being able to impose the per-day punishment, Simmons would have to be suspended.
Suspension would be a point of no return for the 76ers, who would lose a lot of power in their trade negotiations.
The 76ers could fine him $2,500 for the first missed practice, $5,000 for the second missed practice, $7,500 for the third missed practice, and a reasonable fine under the circumstances for a fourth (or additional) missed practice if they choose not to enforce the CBA’s “failure to render services” language.
Simmons’ position, on the other hand, is unusual due to the compensation structure of his contract.
Simmons chose to be paid 25% of his salary for each season on July 1, 25% on Oct. 1, and the rest 50% in 12 payments beginning Nov. 15 when he signed his five-year $177.2 million rookie max contract in 2019.
The question is whether the 76ers will deduct $8,250,984 from his salary on Oct. 1 if he fails to show up for training camp.
Is a Ben Simmons-Joel Embiid breakup a certain conclusion in Philadelphia? Getty Images/Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE
What is Simmons’ current status with Embiid?
Despite regularly earning high net ratings while sharing the floor, there have been concerns regarding Simmons and Embiid’s on-court fit since they started playing together in 2017.
Philadelphia’s postseason blunders haven’t helped alleviate those fears. The notion of splitting up the stars exploded when Embiid talked to the media after the 76ers’ Game 7 defeat to the Hawks.
“I’ll tell you the truth. I felt the pivotal moment was when we had an open shot and hit one free throw, I don’t know how to put it “Embiid stated, without mentioning Simmons, that his missed layup chance was the cause for Philadelphia’s defeat.
However, in reaction to a report regarding the state of their relationship, Embiid went to Twitter last week to declare he had no problems with Simmons.
Embiid tweeted, “Stop exploiting my name to promote people’s agendas.” “Drama is something I both like and despise. Ben and I have a lot of fun together. Statistics aren’t deceiving. He’s a fantastic player, yet we all failed to complete the task. It’s all up to me. I hope everyone has returned because we know we’re capable of winning.”
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN and Brian Windhorst of ESPN contributed to this report.
The joel embiid is a story about Ben Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers and their trade impasse.
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