It looks like the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons are officially heading towards a messy divorce.
Simmons is committed to never playing for the Sixers again and will not report to training camp next week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. He reportedly has not spoken with anyone from the organization since a meeting last month in which he formally asked for a trade.
Simmons has four years and $145 million left on his contract. He is coming off a postseason in which his offensive play cost the 76ers, but the team has not backed off of its high asking price.
Advertisement
Simmons is clearly aware of sanctions available to the organization to fine and suspends him, including withholding of salary. But so far, Simmons appears willing to carry out a plan to force his way to a new team.
At this point, the 76ers are better off trading Simmons ASAP to avoid training camp distractions before the season begins on October 19th.