As the basketball world patiently waits for a conclusion to the standoff between the Philadelphia 76ers and NBA All-Star Ben Simmons, more reports are beginning to surface that dig into why Simmons is so adamant about leaving Philly.
We have heard that Simmons no longer wants to play with Joel Embiid. He wants to be the No. 1 option on a team and the Philadelphia 76ers have made it clear that Embiid is their No. 1 option. However, they did go out of their way to try building the roster in a way that would appease Simmons as well.
Head coach Doc Rivers said he wasn’t sure that Simmons could be the starting point guard on a championship team, which is another thing that bothered him.
Rivera said that in the heat of the moment following the team being eliminated from the postseason and has since tried to welcome back Simmons.
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What it seems to boil down to is that Ben Simmons had his feelings hurt and didn’t believe the team paid enough attention to it. Mental exhaustion was the overlying reason for the trade request, according to sources of Keith Pompey from The Inquirer.
“The Sixers asked why Simmons wanted out, and Paul informed them that the point guard was mentally exhausted. The source believes they didn’t pay attention to Simmons’ state of mind or feelings about being in Philly because of the four years remaining on his contract.”
It is fair for anyone to feel mentally exhausted. At the end of the day, NBA players are human just like everyone else, and feel run down from time to time. But, all of these reports aren’t helping either side.
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Ben Simmons already had his trade value lowered by his performance in the postseason. He needs a very specific group of players around him to succeed and he is showing just how much he wants to be catered to. But, he is not accepting of constructive criticism, unwilling to give anything to meet halfway, and only wanting to take.
But, at only 25-years old with the skillset and resume that he has, there will be an NBA team that takes a chance on him. Which team it will be is anyone’s guess at this time. But, he will be playing in the NBA again sooner than later.
