Joel Embiid responds to The Athletic’s report that Ben Simmons believes “playing around Embiid’s style isn’t conducive to the way he needs to play.”
The Sixers are withholding the 25 percent of Ben Simmons' 2021-22 salary that's due Friday, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer first reported the news.
Simmons did not attend media day or the Sixers' first three training camp practices of the season, and it therefore doesn't seem difficult to make the case that he hasn't fulfilled his contract. The three-time All-Star was set to receive the second quarter of his salary Friday.
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SIGN UP HERE He requested a trade early this past offseason in Chicago, according to Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. On Thursday, Joel Embiid called Simmons' absence "weird, disappointing, borderline kind of disrespectful to all the guys that are out here fighting for their lives."
Twenty-five percent of Simmons' salary is approximately $8.25 million. He's under contract for four more seasons. Marc Stein reported "there is strong belief" within Simmons' camp that he'll be paid the $8.25 million once this standoff is resolved.
So, what's next?
Fischer reports that "there have been growing whispers this week among NBA sources with knowledge of the situation that Simmons could respond by actually reporting to Philadelphia in the coming days, but maintaining that he is injured and unable to compete."
NBA
That would be quite the development. Simmons has been healthy enough to work out this summer — as Embiid noted Monday, "we all see the videos" of him sinking jumpers on social media — and so one imagines such a claim would not be taken at face value.
The Sixers' first preseason game is a road contest Monday against the Raptors. Their regular-season opener is Oct. 20 against the Pelicans.
More on Sixers training camp
New 1st unit without Simmons and more observations from Day 1 of Sixers camp
'No surfing this week' and elevated confidence for Thybulle offensively
Expansive Embiid calls Simmons' holdout 'borderline kind of disrespectful'
Early bench success, tossing out the scale in Sixers camp observations