National Basketball Association

Ben Simmons turns up heat on 76ers, plans to 'never play another game' for franchise

Updated Sep. 22, 2021 12:44 p.m. ET

Earlier this month, Ben Simmons let it be known that he wanted out of Philadelphia.

"Ben Simmons wants the 76ers to trade him," the headline blared, along with the accompanying news that he would not report to training camp.

Since then, a couple of weeks have slipped by with little more than the sound of chirping crickets coming from the 76ers. We've seen a few rumors here or there but no real chatter about potential deals in the works.

With nothing really happening, Simmons apparently felt the need to send a reminder that he wasn’t kidding around.

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The new message from Simmons was basically more of the same, with the added attempt at a thermostat twist via the note that Simmons "intends to never play another game for the franchise."

Philadelphia’s media day is scheduled for Monday, with training camp set to start the following day.

The history of all this acrimony is brief, but it unfolded on the big stage that is the NBA playoffs. Simmons looked lost offensively in the 76ers’ loss to Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He scored just 9.9 PPG in the series, and his 33% free-throw shooting made him a nonfactor late in games. This, in addition to a couple of puzzling decisions Simmons made late in games, led to some very public criticism from both coach Doc Rivers and star Joel Embiid.

It seems that Simmons didn’t care for the criticism, and here we are with a showdown between player and team.

So what happens next?

In August, Yaron Weitzman reported that 76ers general manager Daryl Morrey has been trying to trade the enigmatic star, but the asking price has been very high.

"Morrey has been asking teams for outrageous packages featuring young players and picks, with little success," Weitzman wrote.

NBA odds: Blazers, Warriors among favorites to land Ben Simmons

The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly interested, but they don’t appear to be willing to give up anything the 76ers would want in return. They’re currently the third-favorite destination for Simmons (+400) on FOX Bet.

The team Morey really has his eye on, according to Weitzman, is the Portland Trail Blazers (second-favorite, at +350). Weitzman reported that Morey is hoping Portland star Damian Lillard will become available. In the summer, Lillard expressed frustration with the Blazers after yet another early exit from the playoffs. But the more time that passes with no movement on that front, the less likely it appears to be, and Lillard seems unwilling to demand a trade.

It has previously been reported that Simmons would prefer to go to one of three California teams, presumably meaning the Clippers, Warriors or Kings after the Lakers acquired Russell Westbrook in the offseason. For the record, the Kings are the favored destination (+200) at FOX Bet, though that also might be unlikely if the report that Sacramento won’t give up De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton is to be believed.

The interesting thing in all of this is that Simmons should be, statistically at least, a highly coveted player. He’s a three-time All-Star at age 25. He’s a 6-foot-11 point guard who is virtually unstoppable in transition and has averaged 16 PPG, 7.9 RPG and 7.7 APG in his career. Plus, he’s a defensive ace good for 1.5-2.0 steals per game, with an occasional block thrown in for good measure.

Those are probably the numbers running through Morey’s head as he lays out his trade demands.

The problem is that other teams have seen the meltdown in the playoffs. They’ve read the comments from Rivers and Embiid. They’ve noted the reports that Simmons wants out. They know that with training camp approaching, the 76ers don’t have a whole lot of leverage.

But some don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.

In fact, Skip Bayless believes Philadelphia should hold on to their young point guard.

"I see so much to love, as well as one small thing that can be fixed to be hated, and that is he's got the demons in his head with the free-throw line," Bayless said on Wednesday's episode of "Undisputed." "He won Rookie of the Year, and then in each of his next three NBA years, he made the All-Star team. In the last two years, he made first-team All-Defense, and two years ago, he led the league in steals at 6-foot-10!"

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Shannon Sharpe is not a fan of the take, arguing that Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid soured the relationship to a moot point with their postgame comments following the team's loss.

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Simmons appears committed to the cause, though. He has four years and $147 million left on his max contract, including $33 million for the upcoming season. The 76ers could dig into that haul with fines and/or a suspension if he sits out.

How this all plays out remains to be seen, but the drama has created plenty of buzz — and reaction — on social media.

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