Ben Simmons Wants Out Of Philadelphia, Sixers Only Have Themselves To Blame

There really was only one way that the Ben Simmons saga in Philadelphia was going to end. 

With Simmons wanting out. 

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Simmons informed Philadelphia 76ers’ management that he does not intend to report to training camp and no longer wishes to be a Philadelphia 76er. 

The conversations around the two stars’ ability to coexist have been swirling for years, but they really gained steam after the Sixers lost in seven games to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. 

Simmons had a brutal postseason after averaging a career-low 14.3 points per game in the regular season. He averaged just 9.9 points per game against the Hawks, much of which could be attributed to his horrendous free-throw shooting during the playoffs. 

Simmons — a 60% free-throw shooter during the regular season — dipped to a historically low 34.2% in the postseason. His struggles at the line made him hesitant to even have the ball in his hands, which is somewhat of a problem for the point guard of a team. 

During the seven-game series against Atlanta, Simmons attempted just three total shots in the fourth quarter and didn’t have a single fourth-quarter attempt in the last four games of the series. 

After the Sixers were eliminated from the playoffs, Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers threw Simmons under the proverbial bus, essentially guaranteeing that his time in a Sixers uniform had come to an end. 

“I’ll be honest: I thought the turning point was when we had an open shot, and we made one free throw and we missed the other, and they came down and scored,” Embiid said after the game, referring to Simmons passing up a dunk in the fourth quarter of game seven. 

Rivers was just as harsh, saying he didn’t know if Simmons could be a point guard on a championship team.

It’s no secret that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey had explored moving on from Simmons when James Harden became available, with most reports detailing Simmons as the center of a trade package. Harden was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets in what will now be viewed as a disastrous failure to obtain adequate value for Simmons. 

Rivers, Embiid, and the Sixers organization have let it get to this point, with Simmons reportedly no longer wanting to be part of the organization moving forward. Knowing that Simmons has stated his desire to be traded, his trade value just plummeted. Getting a player of Simmons’ value in return? No shot. 

On Wednesday, Embiid attempted to distance himself from a USA TODAY report that the “rift” between the two superstars had grown untenable and that Sixers management had to choose which player they wanted to keep. 

“Sources “Trust me bro”!! Stop using my name to push people’s agendas,” Embiid posted to Twitter. “I love and hate drama. I love playing with Ben. Stats don’t lie. He’s an amazing player and we all didn’t get the job done. It’s on me personally. I hope everyone is back cuz we know we’re good enough to win.” 

Sources “Trust me bro”!! Stop using my name to push people’s agendas. I love and hate drama. I love playing with Ben. Stats don’t lie. He’s an amazing player and we all didn’t get the job done. It’s on me personally. I hope everyone is back cuz we know we’re good enough to win https://t.co/1kq9VI9byE

— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) September 1, 2021

Maybe the reports are in fact false, but Embiid still played a role in Simmons wanting out of Philadelphia. 

He could have come to his teammates’ defense after bowing out of the playoffs, choosing to take the high road, and saying that he looked forward to getting better with the former first-overall pick. But he didn’t, instead allowing his emotions to get the best of him, and this is the result. 

Not only does Simmons no longer want to play in Philadelphia, but he just ended any chance of Morey and the Sixers getting anything back in a trade to be proud of. 

If Simmons is indeed traded, the Sixers will not have a single one of their number one overall draft picks — Simmons and Markelle Fultz —on the roster after years of purposely tanking for the top spot in the draft. 

It’s a failure at the highest level, and the Sixers have no one but themselves to blame.

Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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