Ben Simmons of the Sixers has requested a trade and will not be attending training camp.
The once-harmonious relationship between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers has quickly deteriorated, and the two sides have now reached a stalemate. Simmons reportedly informed Sixers management that he wouldn’t report to training camp because he not interested in staying with the club.
After the Sixers eliminated in the second round of the 2021 playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks, Simmons’ future with the club became extremely uncertain. Despite being the No. 1 seed in the East, Philly’s early departure was a result of Simmons’ poor jump shooting and free-throw shooting. His reluctance to shoot outside of 10 feet has well documented, particularly in three-point shooting. In his first four seasons, despite being a point forward with outstanding length and agility, he had only made five tries from beyond the arc.
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The suitability of Simmons and Joel Embiid on the court has long been a hot subject in the sports media.
While Simmons is a great defender and has a great burst to attack the basket,
it’s clear that those attributes don’t match up with Embiid’s skill set. When Simmons drives to the hoop and stays around while Embiid works on the low block, the paint gets too crowded, pushing the 7-foot, physically intimidating Embiid out to the perimeter, reducing his worth simply by providing sufficient offensive space.
The Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly interested in acquiring the previous No. 1 pick,
but doing so would require some clever salary budget maneuvering and the T-Wolves could possibly have to deal with Anthony Edwards, the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft, who is coming off a fantastic rookie season. Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Ben Simmons would be a dangerous combination in the Western Conference,
but they aren’t certain to lead Minnesota to the playoffs.
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Sixers’ Ben Simmons Requests Trade, Will Not Attend Training Camp