Philadelphia 76ers rumors: Ben Simmons is ready to make things ugly to force a trade.
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ worst fears are here. Ben Simmons wants out and is reportedly willing to sit out until he’s moved. He doesn’t want to report to training camp and his agent, Rich Paul, is going to do his best to not let that happen.
After a somewhat disappointing showing in the playoffs, the Sixers were widely expected to at the very least shop Simmons during the offseason. However, there was still a hope – for the lack of a better word – that he would be back with the team.
In other words, it wasn’t exactly a foregone conclusion that the team was moving on from Simmons. Though, it appears that has changed.
Simmons wants out, is willing to not show up to training camp, and this feels like it has been a long time coming.
It seems like the relationship between Simmons and the Sixers is so bad right now that Paul is looking to get both of his clients away from the organization. If true, that means talented second-year-pro Tyrese Maxey could also be on the move before the start of the season.
Source: There’s a high chance that Tyrese Maxey will be a part of any Ben Simmons trade.
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) August 31, 2021
Rich Paul would like both of his clients out of Philadelphia.
It’s not exactly sure how the relationship got to this point, but it’s clear that either something extremely bad took place or a series of events has led to this scenario. Either way, it’s not good that the Sixers are bumping heads with arguably one of the most powerful agents in the NBA.
Philadelphia has some big decisions to make over the next few weeks and there’s a good chance that they might have to take pennies on the dollar in order to facilitate a trade for Simmons at this point.
If they’re not OK with that – and there’s a good chance that they might not be – this is a situation that could turn ugly fast.
Another shoe still has to drop before this all ends for both Simmons and the Sixers. However, at this point, I can’t envision a scenario where Simmons is back with the Sixers next season. Perhaps Philadelphia can reach an agreement where Maxey remains with the Sixers, but it’s looking more and more like Simmons’ days with the Sixers are numbered.