After returning to Philadelphia on Monday, Sixers star Ben Simmons took his required physical and met with the team’s brass on Tuesday, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. That meeting included president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and general manager Elton Brand, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who says sources described it only as “brief.”
Both Pompey and Shelburne indicate that Simmons won’t be cleared to participate in any team-related activities until at least Friday, due to the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols. As Brian Windhorst observed during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (video link) on Wednesday, that timeline suggests Simmons may not yet be fully vaccinated, since the league requires fully vaccinated players to register just one negative PCR test in order to interact with other players. Players who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated require at least four negative tests upon reporting to the team, according to ESPN.
We don’t know yet whether Simmons actually intends to return to the court and play for the 76ers following his holdout, but for what it’s worth, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says the 25-year-old’s physical showed no signs that he isn’t healthy. Simmons will be able to begin conducting individual workouts with the assistance of Sixers coaches on Wednesday, Fischer notes.
As we wait to see what the next steps are for the Sixers and Simmons, there’s no indication that the team is anywhere close to making a trade. Both Fischer and Sam Amick of The Athletic have heard that Philadelphia continues to hold out hope that a star like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal will become dissatisfied with his situation and ask for a trade, but that remains a long shot unless the Trail Blazers or Wizards get off to a really disastrous start this season.
According to Amick, Simmons’ camp hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a trade to the Nets, but sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Athletic that the Sixers have exhibited zero interest in pursuing a deal involving Kyrie Irving.
Fischer names the Cavaliers, Pistons, Rockets, Pacers, Timberwolves, Blazers, Kings, Spurs, and Raptors as the nine teams that have remained at least somewhat engaged with Philadelphia, and adds that a “mystery” 10th club has also had “substantive” discussions with the Sixers as of late. Not even Klutch Sports is certain of the identity of that 10th team, per Fischer, who cautions that the mystery suitor still hasn’t come close to meeting Morey’s asking price.
Here’s more on Simmons:
- Sources tell Fischer that the Sixers have informed potential trade partners whose offers would be heavy on draft picks that their best bet would be a three-team structure in which Philadelphia lands at least one impact player, since Morey and his front office are interested in win-now pieces rather than future assets.
- Although the Timberwolves still have interest in Simmons following their front office shake-up, new head of basketball operations Sachin Gupta isn’t believed to be pursuing the three-time All-Star as aggressively as Gersson Rosas did, according to Fischer.
- The Kings remain unwilling to discuss either De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton in a potential Simmons deal, while the Sixers appear unmoved by the idea of acquiring Dejounte Murray and/or Lonnie Walker from the Spurs, sources tell Bleacher Report. Fischer adds that there’s a belief the Pistons would entertain trading Jerami Grant in a deal for Simmons.
- Improving the relationship between Simmons and head coach Doc Rivers is believed to be a priority for the Sixers if Simmons is going to stick around for a little while, according to Fischer, who says the two men never seemed to build a strong rapport last season. Sources tell Bleacher Report that during an offseason meeting at agent Rich Paul‘s home, when the Sixers confirmed they intended to fine Simmons for not complying with the terms of his deal, Rivers shouted, “It’s in your f–king contract” to report to training camp and play for the team.
Just watch Sixer fans will boo the first few weeks and once Simmons helps them win it will slowly die down.
Simmons has no interest in helping them win. That’s the opposite of his incentive right now, as it forces his new team to send more assets to Philly and makes them worse. He’s in Philly purely to take away the Sixers leverage with money.
Also he will perform well on the court to stick it to Philly and improve his trade value.
He will be on a new team before the all star break.
I have a feeling he will be taking a lot more shots to prove them wrong about his shooting ability. Anyone in his situation would make shooting their #1 priorty to prove the haters wrong. Its all up to him on how good of a player he wants to be. The best NBA players have a extreme work ethic.
If Simmons takes more shots to prove them wrong about his shooting ability, that will only serve to prove them right. Why would his shooting suddenly improve? Did he drink some magic potion recently?
So are you saying he didn’t work on his shooting this off season? LeBron was not a good shooter when he first came in the league and improved every year. Those who want to get better prove it by working at it.
There’s no way you can compare LeBrons shooting to Simmons. LeBron could always shoot the ball. He may have had a low shooting percentage his rookie year but he was always a shooter. I went to one of his games in high school and he was shooting 5 feet beyond the NBA 3 as a junior in HS. Ben Simmons is nowhere near that. I’m not a LeBron fan and I am a Simmons and Sixers fan and I’m just saying the two of them are not in the same conversation when it comes to shooting. Doc Rivers said if the Sixers score 125 points does it really matter who scored them? I agree with him on that. The thing Simmons needs to improve is free throws. People care too much about him not ahooting the ball.
I’d love to see him chucking up more shots especially when they play MIL.
That’s the dumbest comment yet. He has every reason to help them out for win. He’s auditioning for every other team in the league. Even you’d behave that way in the same circumstances, because tens or hundreds of millions are at stake for him.
No money is at stake for him at all. Not for years. That’s the whole reason he came back: To make sure he gets his money and takes away the Sixers leverage. He’s under contract for four more years and whether he plays poorly or well, he gets the exact same amount. His next contract only starts to get relevant in a couple years at earliest.
What’s holding teams back from trading for him isn’t uncertainty about his quality of play. That’s been well established and nothing he does in the next month or two will change it at all. It’s all about how much Morey demands, which will only go up, or stay sky high, if he plays well. Which means no trade. He understands that very well, as others have in his circumstance. Go watch a Rockets game from before the Harden trade. The idea is to LOWER the price, not increase it. The lower the return the more likely offers come. All he needs to do is convince Morey that nothing more is coming.
He is not auditioning for anyone. Sixers do not want to trade him and they proven that already. Dumb comment to say he is auditioning for every other team. Most teams have nothing to offer for him.
That’s how sports work. Vick, Ray Lewis, Big Ben, Kobe, Odubel, Chapman. Fans don’t care. Watson will move on and play again too. Fans don’t care in the long run. Small % go away because of player X. And Ben didn’t do anything wrong persay he’s just a wuss.
Detroit would be interested in Simmons. It reminds me of the same feeling I had with the Blake Griffin deal.
#FreeBenSimmons
#FreePhillyOfBenSimmons
Philly fans have always been on the right side of history? Right?
If Rivers truly shouted that, he should be kicked out & banned forever from the league, shows the classless person he is… no wonder Ben can’t be motivated to go back to that hellhole!
@ElDon
Oh boo hoo your sensitive ears were offended? give me a break. no grown man should need to be reminded of basic facts of the contract they signed. im 100% sure Rich reminded him that he’s messing up the bag he already secured. The fact a commonly used curse word uttered a gazillion times on the court, in the locker room and off-court offends you more than a grown man refusing to honor his $240 mil contract to play a game shows me what’s wrong with today’s generation.
Contracts shmontracts. Anyone who has ever written an employment contract, or been subject to one, knows that they exist for the benefit and security of the employee only, and have no real power over him/her. That’s just how the world works. Sure it might be painful (for all) if an employee decides to not honor a contract, but in the end there’s absolutely nothing the employer can do about it, for the exact reason that the Sixers are staring in the face right now: He/she can simply dog it until the employer cries uncle and pays him to leave.
This couldn’t be more false. Didn’t you previously claim that the Sixers would need to pay BS whether he showed up or he didn’t? LOL. Recent events have already exposed you as a fool for that one, why keep doubling down? You have no clue as to what an employment contract means or doesn’t. Pay attention and maybe you’ll learn.
Kings have to pull the trigger here. Send over Haliburton and whatever Philly wants. Only path to relevance this season is through this trade.
Except Halliburton is a better player than Simmons. Or might be. His ceiling is certainly higher. I don’t think it’s even a consideration for the Kings.
Fox is, later on.
For previous post: the saying goes, Contracts are for suckers.
Neither Haliburton nor Fox are available in trade.
#freezingcoldtakes 4 zingers in less than 4 lines
Ben will be on the court and play at his usual triple double threat every night as the Sixers front office and the league watch.
He rejoined the team…BUT, I’m not convinced he will be playing for this franchise again.
Doc is an imbecile. He himself held out of Clippers’ training camp as a player 30 years ago…
If I’m the Pistons, trade Grant, and use future picks to involve a third team to get another player Philly might want. Get the deal done.
Sixers do not want draft picks or any player. they wants a super star all star or not trading him.
That ship has passed and the Sixers effed it up. Never gonna happen and they cannot not trade him.
Why not, s2? Any team would like him. Reality. Morey is the one working the brakes.
We already knew Ben wasn’t vaccinated. He never takes a shot….
So simple yet so funny. Kudos.
Daryl Morey has a better chance at pissing China off again with a random Hong Kong tweet than he does at ever getting Lillard. He’s completely delusional.
Eh…maybe. This feels like a make or break year for Lillard with Blazers. If Lillard wants to win and doesn’t feel he can do so in Portland he can make a trade happen. For the Blazers getting Simmons and picks ain’t half bad if CJ wants to play with him. Beats a total rebuild.
If the Blazers want Simmons they will trade McCollum, not Lillard.
Trading Lillard for Simmons and picks is a rebuild. They would not be a playoff team with Simmons as the only all-star on a team. Ben is one of the best defensive player in the league but he can’t be the best player on a playoff team. He’s been working with 2-3 other all stars in Phily the last few years.
Ehh, they wouldn’t be contenders with McCollum, Simmons, Nurkic, RoCo, Nance and whatever else they got back for Lillard but they would still be a playoff team. Ben would still only be the 2nd best player on the Blazers behind McCollum.
Those were my thoughts exactly. It’s not like they’re contenders now anyway.
Well if Ben is 2nd best player behind McCollum then they are nowhere near a playoff team in the West because then you are saying Ben is not even an all-star player.
Blazers can do a lot better than Simmons if they trade Dame.
Like Harden, he will report and get his money and show no real interest in being there. Traded
Gupta (T’wolves) is not going to blow up his roster for Simmons. And after a 3-0 start to the preseason, he is looking pretty smart.
Ben, Kyrie, Wall, Love all really should go. I think there will be some others too though, including possible surprises. I think Ayton may get moved if he demands the max from Sarver. That guy won’t care that he’ll set the team back. It wouldn’t surprise if he moves Bridges too so he doesn’t have to pay him.