The Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons have not seemed to progress anywhere in terms of a potential trade over the last handful of weeks, and now with training camp drawing closer and closer, there is not much time left for the Sixers to capitalize on their NBA All-Star.
This whole situation in Philadelphia is very puzzling, and with the 76ers not willing to come down on their asking price for Simmons, they could very well end up stuck with him as training camp begins.
On August 31, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Ben Simmons told the Sixers that he wanted to be traded and was not planning to attend training camp. Seeing as nothing has changed over the last two weeks, this still seems to be true, as Simmons will likely continue to hold out as the start of the 2021-22 season draws near.
At this point, it seems crazy to think that the 76ers would wind up holding onto Simmons to begin the season, especially given all the tension between not only him and management but some of the other players in the locker room as well.
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On September 21, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Simmons will not report to training camp and wants to a trade from the 76ers and he does not intend to wear an NBA uniform until he plays for a new team.
Keeping Ben Simmons around could create a very toxic atmosphere in Philadelphia, especially if it is true that he really could care less about playing for them anymore.
Ben Simmons is under contract through the 2024-25 season and still has $146.6M remaining on his contract, which is definitely a lot of money for a team to try and absorb, but plenty of teams are interested in trading for him.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs, and Golden State Warriors are just a handful of teams with a known interest in the All-Star. Still, the trade packages each of these teams can offer on their own may not be exactly what the 76ers have in mind.
