Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers remain at a standstill, as both sides have been since Philadelphia was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks in June.
Simmons, who is hired four more seasons, would like to be changed. The 76ers would like to change that, but just to get a return, they believe it is proportional to the way they value the three-star selection and the 25-year double defense.
So far, no agreement has been reached. Until you do, both sides will remain locked in a deadlock.
Sources previously told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Simmons has sought a change from Philadelphia and that Simmons ’agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, and Sixers management met earlier this summer. Now, sources have confirmed that Simmons has threatened to skip the start of training camp in an effort to pressure Philadelphia to take a step back.
All this adds up to Philadelphia, a city that has become accustomed to the drama surrounding its basketball team, being home to the league’s most sticky situation with less than three weeks to the training ground.
How did we get here?
From the moment Simmons went from an open hose to Matisse Thybulle with less than four minutes left in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Hawks, league experts have believed his departure from Philadelphia it was inevitable.
After firmly defending Simmons all season, Sixers coach Doc Rivers was asked after the 7th game loss if Simmons could be a mainstay of the championship.
“I don’t know the answer to that,” Rivers said.
Part of the reason Rivers defended Simmons all season was that it was his last attempt to use his press conferences to increase the confidence of one of his key players, something he had succeeded in doing with players like Rajon Rondo with the Boston Celtics and DeAndre Jordan with the LA Clippers.
Philadelphia still not only expected Simmons to be more willing to shoot, but there was also the fact that Simmons’ name had been spelled out in James Harden’s business conversations at the start of the season.
Ultimately, nothing worked, culminating in Simmons letting that open dock pass.
Shortly after this ugly 7th game loss and after a discussion between Simmons’ management and representation, both sides agreed to seek a trade as the draft and free agency approached. Over the next few weeks, the Sixers held talks with numerous teams, sources said, and several did what they believed were legitimate offers.
It became clear that the price the Sixers were asking for Simmons was high; Philly was looking for superior profitability, whether it was a star player, several first-round picks or both.
After the trading season ended in mid-August, owner Joshua Harris and the 76ers management flew to Los Angeles to meet with Simmons and agent Rich Paul. The Sixers intended to tell Simmons that they found no deal for him and hoped to put aside the differences and enter the season on the same page, sources said.
Simmons, however, was firm, telling Harris that he did not want to play with the team again and that if he was not changed at the end of the month, he had no intention of coming to the training camp, the sources.
It was pointed out that it was not Simmons ’responsibility to increase its commercial value and that the Sixers should find the best possible trade and run it now, instead of waiting for a strong start to the season to increase its value.
Why hasn’t Simmons been exchanged yet?
The simple answer? Because Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal are not yet available.
Philadelphia Basketball Operations President Daryl Morey has shown three things during his long and successful career as an executive: he’s not afraid of awkward situations, he won’t make a deal for the sake of making one, and he’s trying. constantly changing star trades.
Like several other teams in the entire league, the 76ers are closely following Lillard’s situation in hopes of asking him out of Portland. Earlier this summer, Lillard said he didn’t feel the Blazers had a list of championships and wanted to improve. Portland has had a low season in terms of free agent increases.
Until there is no move (or another team arrives with a great deal for Simmons separately), it looks likely Simmons will remain on the Philadelphia roster for the foreseeable future.
Simmons really don’t you show up at the training camp?
Rich Paul has not been afraid to use this type of tactic to his advantage in the past. Two Klutch Sports clients, Tristan Thompson and JR Smith, had extended contract negotiations with the Cleveland Cavaliers on the training ground and only made them near the start of the regular season.
This situation is different. Simmons is hired for four more seasons, which lowers his leverage. Resisting is a way to pressure Philadelphia to take a step, though it’s more likely that Morey felt the need to rush to make one.
Expect the NBA to step in if Simmons doesn’t report and the 76ers don’t penalize him financially with a suspension. The last the league can afford is a precedent of hired players not showing up on the training ground.
Were there recent examples of hired players not showing up at camp?
The closest is Jimmy Butler in 2018 with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Butler was unhappy with the fact that his contract was not renegotiated during the offseason and believed that not all members of the roster were lined up for the win. As a result, he begged the organization to change him.
Butler’s situation was different because the Timberwolves gave him permission to miss the media day and the first part of training camp while rehabilitating his right knee. When Butler returned to training camp on Oct. 10, he created a storm in his first practice, challenging teammates, coaches and front office executives.
One such goal was then-GM Scott Layden: “You don’t need me, Scott. You can’t win without me,” Butler said.
The young Timberwolves team that reached the playoffs the year before started the season 3-7. After four straight losses, Butler was traded to the 76ers on November 12, where he helped Simmons and Embiid reach the second round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Toronto Raptors.
Another example is when James Harden of the Rockets applied for a trade last season and missed the first week of training camp as a result of not complying with NBA COVID-19 protocols.
Harden finally practiced it on Dec. 14, but was deemed unavailable for the Rockets ‘season opener after being seen at a maskless party, a violation of the Rockets’ safety and health protocols. league that cost him $ 50,000. Houston started the season 3-6 before Harden was moved to Brooklyn in mid-January.
A non-presentation of Simmons on the training ground would be considered more of a nuisance and less of an interruption.
Unlike Minnesota and Houston, where Butler and Harden were the best players on their teams, this is not the case in Philadelphia. The 76ers have an MVP candidate Joel Embiid and a strong core led by Tobias Harris, Seth Curry, Thybulle and Tyrese Maxey.
With or without Simmons, Philadelphia is still a playoff team, though probably not one of the favorites to leave the Eastern Conference.
What financial implications does Simmons have?
According to Article VI, section 1 (conduct of the player) of the collective bargaining agreement, a player who does not provide services would be suspended and could be fined up to 1/145 of the player’s base compensation for each day he is not presented.
That means Simmons could lose $ 227,613 for every practice and game he missed. It should be noted that Simmons should be suspended before the 76ers could apply the penalty per day.
Adopting the suspension approach is the point of not returning the 76ers, who would lose a ton of leverage in their quest for a trade.
If the 76ers choose not to enforce the “service failure” language on the ABC, they could still be fined $ 2,500 for the first lost practice, $ 5,000 for the second lost practice, $ 7,500 for the third lost practice and a reasonable fine under circumstances for a fourth (or additional) lost practice.
However, Simmons’ situation is unique due to the salary structure of his contract.
When Simmons signed his five-year maximum extension for a new $ 177.2 million in 2019, he chose to be paid 25% of his salary for each season on July 1, 25% on 1 of October and the remaining 50% in 12 installments from November. 15.
The question is whether the 76ers would withhold $ 8,250,984 on Oct. 1 if he doesn’t show up at training camp.
What relationship does Simmons have with Embiid now?
From the time Simmons and Embiid started playing together in 2017, there have been questions about their fit on the court, though both consistently post positive net ratings when they shared the court.
Philadelphia’s repeated stumbles in the playoffs have not alleviated those concerns. And after Embiid spoke to the media after the Hawks ’defeat in the 7th game of the 76ers, the idea of breaking the stars opened up.
“I’ll be honest. I thought the turning point was when we, I don’t know how to say it, is when we had an open shot and we did a free throw,” Embiid said, not calling Simmons, but calling specifically his opportunity to step aside as a reason for the loss of Philadelphia.
However, Embiid took to Twitter last week in response to a story about the state of their relationship, saying she had no issues with Simmons.
“Stop using my name to drive people’s agendas,” Embiid tweeted. “I love and hate drama. I love playing with Ben. The stats don’t lie. He’s an amazing player and we all didn’t do the job. Personally, I’m on my side. I hope everyone comes back because we know we’re good enough. to win “.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst contributed to this story.