It’s widely known that Ben Simmons wants out of Philadelphia, but Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey expressed confidence that things will work out and even compared Simmons’ situation to the Aaron Rodgers situation with the Packers.
“I watched last night a player lead their team to victory where a thousand pounds of digital ink were spilled on how much he would never play for that team again,” Morey said. “Look, every situation is different, but we have a lot of optimism that we can make it work here. …Ben’s a great player, and we expect him back. We expect him to be a 76er.”
However, Simmons’ stance hasn’t changed, as one source with knowledge of Simmons’ outlook said of Morey’s analysis that “it’s total bullshit,” per a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Overall, Simmons saw the Rodgers comparison as laughable and out of touch, and any reconciliation attempts only added to his agitation with the franchise.
More Sixers Rumors
- Simmons believes that his time playing with Joel Embiid has “run its course,” per Amick. There’s nothing personal about Simmons’s choice, but the 25-year-old forward seems to think that his career is better off without Embiid blocking the runways to the paint, which prevents Simmons from succeeding at his highest potential.
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Simmons and his camp hoped to avoid a training camp circus, as they thought Simmons would be moved by now after making the trade request earlier this offseason, per Amick. Simmons is reportedly open to going anywhere, but is seemingly attracted to going to one of the California teams.
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Simmons thought he was on his way to the Rockets in January when the Sixers were looking to acquire James Harden, as he started looking for homes in the area, per Amick. However, Harden ended up with the Nets, as Simmons ultimately took the uncertainty in stride and never publicly complained about it.
