Shaquille O'Neal weighs in on the Ben Simmons situation, says he's "not paying a guy $150 million that doesn't shoot the ball in the 4th quarter"
Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has been one of the most popular names in the basketball world over the last several months. After an offseason in which Simmons demanded a trade from the 76ers, fans have anxiously waited for a resolution of the conflict between the two parties. Each day brings us a new chapter to the story, and it seems as if this isn't going away anytime soon.
Simmons recently told team officials that he's not mentally ready to play. So it looks as if it's going to be sometime before we see Simmons return to the basketball court, if he even decides to do so. Because of how much momentum this "beef" has created between the two parties, it's brought in the attention of the entire sports world. Earlier this week, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce went on to voice his opinion about the entire situation. NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has become the latest known figure to give his thoughts about the entire fiasco.
"He's trying to force a trade but who wants him? Me? I'm not paying a guy $150 million that doesn't shoot the ball in the 4th quarter. I'm not doing it."
"He's trying to force a trade, but who wants him?"
@SHAQ weighs in on the latest with Ben Simmons' situation in Philly on #TheBigPodcast: bit.ly/3DY6VB2 https://t.co/M6DdiBzzmv
Shaquille O'Neal went into further detail about the matter at hand. He was eventually asked if he believes Simmons can turn his game around and become a more dangerous all-around player in the NBA. Shaq went on to talk about the fact that he's had experience playing alongside some of the greatest players in the NBA and he just doesn't see the same characteristics when it comes to Simmons.
"...when I think of greatness. I played with Kobe. I played with LeBron. I played with DWade. I played with Penny. That's great to me. I don't care how many points you score if you not close to what I know as great...then you're not gonna be great. "
The points that Shaq brought up are valid. Simmons has become one of the more special talents in the league with his combination of size, playmaking ability, and versatility on the defensive side of the ball. He's become one of the league's most dangerous defenders with the ability to defend multiple positions at an elite level. The problem with Simmons is that he's also become one of the more confusing young talents to market in terms of trade value. Simmons has struggled to become a consistent threat offensively, and he's often not an option for teams to go towards the end of the game as an offensive threat. It's become one of the more unique situations in the history of the NBA when it comes to a young star trying to force his trade from an organization.
Usually, it's pretty clear how a talent might be viewed on the trade market. But when it comes to Ben Simmons' situation, it has created a different type of wrinkle that will have a number of teams questioning if it's worth the investment of trading multiple assets. Although the NBA season is just getting underway, it looks as if the drama between the Sixers and Ben Simmons isn't going away anytime soon.
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