76ers still want disgruntled guard Simmons back
The 76ers and representatives for disgruntled All-Star Ben Simmons are working toward a resolution of the guard’s holdout that could potentially see him rejoin the team.
“Clearly that’s what we want, or we wouldn’t be talking if that wasn’t part of it,” coach Doc Rivers said last night.
Simmons missed training camp and the preseason in the wake of his offseason trade demand that had left the Sixers without their three-time All-Star -and Simmons out millions in lost salary and fines. The 25-year-old Australian still has US$147 million and four years left on his contract.
Rivers said he has not talked to Simmons during the holdout, only Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul. Sixers President Daryl Morey has fielded offers for Simmons but has yet to find a package to his satisfaction that would keep the the Sixers among the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
Morey and Rivers have been publicly optimistic since the start of training camp that Simmons would play again for the Sixers. Rivers said he did not know if the situation could be resolved this week.
But the possibility of a reunion -- as far-fetched as it once seemed -- could be on the horizon.
“We’ve said from Day one what we’ve wanted,” Rivers said. “We’d love to have him back. Other than that, honestly, there’s nothing to report.”
Rivers said conversations with Klutch “have been good throughout, honestly” and there was no animosity on either side.
The bottom line of the holdout may very well be about the bottom line; the more games and practices Simmons misses, the more money he loses. Report to Philadelphia and, even if he never plays, the financial bleeding starts to ease up.
Simmons, the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft, had been paired with Joel Embiid as the franchise cornerstones as the Sixers chase their first NBA championship since 1983. Simmons, though, took the brunt of the blame for the top-seeded Sixers’ second-round exit in last season’s play-offs. He shot 34 per cent from the free-throw line in the postseason and was reluctant to attempt a shot from anywhere on the floor late in games.