Ben Simmons informs 76ers he wants to leave Philadelphia and won’t attend training camp, report says

Ben Simmons’ situation in Philadelphia has reached an official breaking point. Simmons recently told the 76ers he wants a trade and won’t show up to training camp, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Investigator.

During a meeting with the 76ers last week in Los Angeles, Simmons told team co-managing partner Josh Harris, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand and coach Doc Rivers that he no longer wanted to remain a Sixer, according to several sources.

Sources said the three-time All-Star also had no plans to show up to training camp.

A spokesperson for the team declined to comment.

Simmons’ future with the team has been in serious doubt since the Sixers collapsed in the second round of the 2021 playoffs and lost to the Atlanta Hawks. During that series, Simmons’ offensive problems took center stage as he attempted just three field goals in the fourth quarter in the seven games. Most notably, he missed a dunk in the closing minutes of the team’s loss in Game 7 at home – a play that characterized Simmons’ reluctance on the attacking side.

At his post-Game 7 press conference, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers told media he was not sure Simmons would qualify to be a championship-level playmaker. “I don’t know the answer to that question yet,” Rivers said.

Rivers ‘quote associated with Simmons’ poor performance raised the tension that had built up in Philadelphia for years about the fit, or lack thereof, between Simmons and Joel Embiid. While Simmons – three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive First Teamer – has clear talents, they don’t mesh well with Embiid, and his negative qualities are amplified in the playoffs.

This isn’t the first time Simmons has been the subject of commercial rumors, but the situation is very different from what it was before last season, when he was the potential centerpiece of a James Harden blockbuster. . Simmons ‘struggles in the playoffs reduced his value, and his statement that he wouldn’t be attending training camp eliminated almost all of the Sixers’ leverage.

Recent reports have indicated that the Sixers are looking for an All-Star player in exchange for Simmons, but have so far been unable to strike a deal they like. It won’t be easier now that Simmons’ demands have gone public. And while it’s true that Simmons is trying to make his way to one of the three teams in California, the Sixers’ options are even more limited.

“Think back to about three months ago, when the Sixers were ready to give up on Ben Simmons. You’re like, ‘Let’s see what we have to do to get him,'” a Western Conference executive told the Applicant. “Now the difference is Ben Simmons says he refuses to play for the Sixers. He wants to go to three California teams. There is so much bad blood between him and the team.”

The Simmons experience in Philadelphia was never perfect, but there was always a feeling they were talented enough to be successful anyway. This didn’t happen for a multitude of reasons, many of which are front office mistakes unrelated to Simmons’ personal weaknesses.

Now, as Simmons tries to force his way out of town, the team are arguably faced with their most important decision since “The Process” began nearly a decade ago. Whatever happens, they can’t afford to add this potential deal to the list of missteps that got them here in the first place.