ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski had significant news to share with the NBA world this Tuesday involving Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.
Simmons will reportedly not show up for the start of training camp in Philadelphia. Wojnarowski also mentioned that Simmons doesn’t plan to play another game for the 76ers ever again.
Philadelphia will have to figure out how it wants to approach this situation rather soon since the regular season isn’t too far away.
As for where Simmons may land if he’s traded, NBA insider Marc Stein just listed five teams as potential trade suitors. Those five teams are the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors.
Even though Simmons wants out of Philadelphia, he’s not expected to help facilitate a trade for the 76ers.
“One of the messages that Ben has sent back towards Philly is that it’s not his job to fix his trade value,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently said. “It’s not his job to correct his trade value or raise his trade value. That is not something that is on the menu for him. And so, with that out there, I’m not convinced he’s interested in coming in and trying to change the situation.”
Simmons has four years and $147 million remaining on his contract, so the five teams that Stein recently listed as trade suitors will need to be comfortable with the financial burden that comes with acquiring Simmons.
It would be interesting to see what Simmons could do on a proven winner, like the Raptors or Spurs. However, the 76ers probably won’t do him any favors considering how he’s handled this situation.