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The endless summer drama that is Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers has taken another epic turn, according to Jason Dumas of KRON4 News.
Dumas tweeted on Thursday morning: “Ben Simmons has cut off communication with basically everyone in the Sixers organization. Everything is going thru his agent, Rich Paul. Ben is open to going to the GSWs though he doesn’t have much leverage in the situation.”
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Dumas later appeared on The Morning Roast – a weekday sports podcast and radio show based in the Bay Area – and dropped another doozy about Simmons, saying “He’s open to the California teams is what I’ve been told. Joel Embiid has reached out to him several times since the end of the season. He hasn’t returned Joel Embiid’s calls. … he doesn’t want to return to the 76ers. Damage has been done.”
Far From the First and Likely Not the Last We’ll Hear About Simmons
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GettyPhiladelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons before a playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks in June.
Obviously, the reports of Simmons’ apparent snubbing of Joel Embiid and desire to leave Philadelphia for good aren’t really anything new, but these seem to be next level. Because the Sixers were eliminated from the playoffs much earlier than anticipated, it’s been nearly 50 days now of 24-hour coverage of Simmons trade rumors, proposals, rejections, and wild stories off the court.
It even looked like a near-certainty at times on draft day last Thursday that the former Defensive Player of the Year would be moved.
While some may prefer the antics of reality television as seen in The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, the “most dramatic season” this summer is clearly surrounding Simmons and the Sixers.
When Would Be the Right Time to Trade Simmons?
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GettyPhiladelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons and center Joel Embiid during a game against the Phoenix Suns in February.
IF, Philly is indeed going to move on from the former No. 1 overall pick, the most important thing for the organization is to not settle, and make sure to get a good return. The other key is timing.
On the offseason calendar, the league is in the middle of a frantic free agency period, NBA Summer League is about to get underway, and training camp is scheduled to officially begin on September 28. The regular season commences on October 19.
A player who has been in the league for multiple years like Simmons won’t be playing in Summer League action, so when will the rest of the NBA even get a chance to see if/how the Australian has been working on his game this summer (other than the little videos uploaded to his personal social media accounts)? Despite how bad things may be right now between Simmons and the Sixers – and Simmons and Embiid in particular – we may still be weeks away from this situation getting resolved.
Buckle up.
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