NBA Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons have not reached agreement on player development plan
According to recent NBA rumor, the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons appear to be far apart in terms of the three-time All-Star’s summer workout program. The report comes from Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, who said that the two sides had recently met.
“Sixers brass have indeed maintained contact with Simmons and his representatives, most notably meeting in Chicago during the combine, but not too dissimilar to offseasons past, Philadelphia has thus far been unable to collaborate with its Defensive Player of the Year candidate on a summer player development plan, sources said,” Fischer explained.
This impasse between the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons suggests that their ideas of a development plan are quite different from one another. There’s no questioning Simmons’ dedication to skill development. The former No. 1 pick has often been seen in workouts on social media during previous offseasons.
However, the Philadelphia 76ers would like to be more involved in Simmons’ player development plan after a disastrous showing in the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
NBA Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers expected to trade Ben Simmons before new season
It’s been more than a month since the No.1-seeded Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the postseason by the No. 5 seed Atlanta Hawks. The embarrassing loss in the second round was due in large part to Ben Simmons, who refused to shoot throughout each game's fourth quarter during the series.
The baffling nature of Simmons’ fourth-quarter habit reached inexplicable levels in Game 7 against the Hawks. He refused to shoot a point-blank shot with no defenders around in the dying minutes, as the 76ers slumped to a defeat.
Philadelphia 76ers fans booed the team after losing the game and the series, and much of their disappointment was undoubtedly directed at Ben Simmons.
Since then, the Philadelphia 76ers have made Simmons available in trade talks and teams have been sending trade proposals the past few weeks.
"The overwhelming expectation around the NBA remains that Philadelphia will trade Simmons before the start of training camp," Fischer added.
The fact that Ben Simmons’ camp and the Philadelphia 76ers have not reached an agreement on something as simple as a summer workout program is ominous. It’s almost safe to say that Simmons will indeed be gone before the 2021-22 season begins.
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