Tricky training camp looms for 76ers, as Ben Simmons situation appears to be deadlocked

Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers appear to be at a stalemate. Simmons reportedly informed the Sixers that he wanted to be traded and that he had no plans to attend training camp in Philadelphia, which begins next week. The Sixers toured Simmons during the offseason, but they couldn’t find any offers they found particularly enticing. So the team is looking to bring Simmons back into the fold, for now,

The Sixers remain determined to try to convince Simmons to show up to camp, and he still plans not to attend, says veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein. Now, an embarrassing training camp seems inevitable for Philadelphia. Either Simmons shows up at camp and his presence adds a layer of tension in the locker room, or his absence becomes a huge elephant in the room – at least until all of his teammates are asked about it after the first practice.

The rift between the two sides dates back to last season, when Simmons was suspended in trade talks for James Harden. A deal never came to fruition, but the fact that the organization was willing to move it rubbed Simmons the wrong way, despite him saying all the right things publicly at the time. Things really came to a head after Simmons’ disappointing performance against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. After the series, Simmons was unhappy with the comments made by Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers. When asked if he thinks Simmons could be a championship-level playmaker, Rivers replied, “I don’t know the answer to that.”

So now we are there. Days away from training camp, the situation between Simmons and the Sixers doesn’t seem any closer to a resolution than it did right after the season. The Sixers obviously don’t have to trade Simmons since he’s under contract for four more seasons, but by not trading him in time, they run the risk of Simmons deteriorating the locker room until he is traded – if he even shows up . If he doesn’t, the Sixers can nibble on his paycheck. Here’s a look at how the Sixers could potentially fine Simmons if he doesn’t show up to training camp, from ESPN:

Under Article VI, Section 1 (Player Conduct) of the collective agreement, a player who does not render services would be suspended and could be fined up to 1/145 of the player’s basic remuneration for every day he doesn’t show up. That means Simmons could lose $ 227,613 for every practice and game he misses. It should be noted that Simmons would have to be suspended before the 76ers can impose the penalty per day.

If the 76ers choose not to apply “failing to render service” language in the ABC, they could still fine him $ 2,500 for the first missed practice, $ 5,000 for the second missed practice, 7 $ 500 for the third missed workout and a fine reasonable under the circumstances for a fourth (or other) missed workout.

The Sixers are clearly in no rush to take a step, as they obviously want to get a solid comeback for a 25-year-old who has already made three All-Star teams and was a finalist for the Award’s defensive player. year last season. So the standoff between the two sides could ultimately come down to the amount of money Simmons is willing to lose by staying away from the squad.

If he’s okay with missing out on a large sum of money to which he would otherwise be entitled, then maybe his absence will be extended. If not, maybe he’ll come back to the squad and make the most of the situation until a trade is inevitably concluded. In the meantime, it looks like at least some of Simmons’ teammates are mentally preparing to move forward without the All-Star forward. Without Simmons, veteran guard Danny Green considers himself Philadelphia’s main defenseman.

“Defensively, I’m probably becoming the main defenseman,” Green said of what a Simmons trade for Philadelphia would mean. “It’s not a problem or a problem for me, but we have one less winger defender without [Ben]. Now it’s me and Matisse [Thybulle], not to say the other guys don’t play defense, but you’re talking about our main defenders, Ben was a big part of that and a part of our defense.

“Obviously, Tobias [Harris] took it up a notch and was amazing defensively for us, but Ben was DPOY for us this year. Everyone in our squad, of course, we thought he should have been the Defensive Player of the Year, and rightly so. Without disrespecting Rudy Gobert he’s had a great year as always and for the past three years but we thought Ben was able to keep one to five and set the tone for us. But if he’s gone, that changes a lot, not just offensively but defensively, also for me. It depends on what we get in return. ”

The situation will continue to evolve over the coming weeks. Unless there is a change, it seems likely the Sixers will at least have to start training camp without Simmons, but we’ll find out soon enough one way or another. In the meantime, one thing is certain: This rather public pool game between Simmons and the Sixers has made Philadelphia one of the most compelling teams in the league as the 2021-22 season approaches.