Details of Ben Simmons meeting with Sixers over trade demand revealed
3 min read
Details of the Los Angeles meeting where Ben Simmons officially requested a trade from 76ers officials have been revealed.
Simmons returned to Philadelphia this week bringing an end to his premature hold out from training camp which led to financial penalties. The Australian completed his COVID protocols to return to the court but it’s unclear when he will play, with the season set to begin in under a week.
The sequence of events were unthinkable in August, when the Aussie met with coach Doc Rivers and president Daryl Morey to tell them that he no longer wanted to play in Philadelphia.
In a detailed report by ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne, the Australian’s reaction to the team’s pitch to have him back took some by surprise. The 25-year-old didn’t mention comments made by Rivers and Joel Embiid following his disastrous showing in the game seven loss to Atlanta. Instead his reasons for leaving were simple.
Shelburne wrote: « Morey went first, presenting him with a detailed statistical case showing how good Simmons and Embiid were together defensively — the top duo in the NBA since they entered the league — and even argued they weren’t nearly as bad together offensively as Simmons’ might feel.
« Their combined offensive efficiency of 118.2 points per 100 possessions, Morey outlined, would have led the NBA among all teams.
« Rivers then appealed to Simmons’ professionalism and competitiveness, reminding him that he’d signed a five-year, $170 million contract extension just two years ago and the team hoped he’d honour it.
« The overarching message was clear: No matter what had happened at the end of last year’s disastrous playoff run, they wanted him back.
« They still saw him as a great player. They believed they could help him through the shooting and confidence woes that had derailed his career. And frankly, they said, there were no trades out there that made sense for them. »
Shelburne added: « When it was Simmons’ turn to speak, he was focused on something entirely different.
« He didn’t dwell on Rivers’ or Embiid’s quotes from after the Sixers’ Game 7 loss to the Hawks. He didn’t say he felt betrayed by being included in the Sixers’ attempts to trade for Harden last fall.
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« His first three years in the league, the Sixers had such a bright spotlight on them and so much early success, he told them, that he didn’t feel like he could make the mistakes other top draft picks were afforded. His growing pains were too public and consequential.
« ‘I appreciate you guys coming out here,’ Simmons said, according to multiple sources at the meeting. ‘I understand how you feel. But I feel how I feel. And it’s just time for a change.' »
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