NBA Rumors: Ben Simmons willing to sit out whole season if Philadelphia 76ers don't trade him
Ben Simmons has been under a lot of media scrutiny since he decided to leave the Philadelphia 76ers.
That has led to a huge turmoil between the two parties, and created a very unpleasant situation in the Sixers' camp. Despite several attempts from the franchise, the Australian is adamant about his decision and is set to go to any length to engineer a move out of Philly. And that includes sitting out the entire season as well.
However, his poor performance in the playoffs and tarnished image has led to many teams offering a lot less in trade for Ben Simmons. The 25-year-old signed a 5-year $177.2 million max extension back in 2019. Although he still has a long time left on the contract, the three-time All-Star wants his way out of the Sixers.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Ben Simmons is even ready to sit out the entire year if Philly decides not to trade him. Speaking on The Jump, Ramona said:
"Ben Simmons is willing to sit as long as it takes too. When you talk to people close to Ben, I say, ‘Okay, worst-case scenario, it takes all year. Would he sit all year?’ And the answer right now is: "Yes." Now you can say that right now at the beginning of training camp, .. say that, you're willing to sit all year if that's what it takes to get traded to a team you are a lot more comfortable on. But let's see what happens when you start missing cheques, when you really start missing basketball, when the league goes on without you."
What could be the consequences if Ben Simmons doesn't show up all season for the Philadelphia 76ers?
Ben Simmons was not part of the media day press conferences at the Philadelphia 76ers. If he continues missing out practices and games for the Sixers, Simmons could be at the receiving end of fines from his team. The fines are as massive as $227,000 for each game he misses.
Ben Simmons has concluded that he's done playing with Joel Embiid, sources tell @sam_amick.
While it's not personal, Simmons believes that playing around Embiid’s style isn’t conducive to the way he needs to play.
📚: bit.ly/3uhvNAn https://t.co/6uQAxbq7q9
He will also be fined if he misses practice, which means that if Ben Simmons misses an entire season of action, he will lose a huge chunk of money.
It will be very difficult to replace a player of the quality of Ben Simmons. However, if he moves out, the Sixers would want someone capable of filling his void. The franchise will only move Simmons if they find the right deal. But with each passing day, it looks as if Ben Simmons is in no way interested in playing for the Sixers.