PHILADELPHIA — You knew this was bound to happen.
A league source confirmed that Ben Simmons has filed a grievance to recoup the nearly $20 million in salary the 76ers withheld from him this season. ESPN was first to report the news.
The Sixers traded the disgruntled point guard to the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 10 along with Seth Curry and Andre Drummond and two first-round picks for James Harden and Paul Millsap.
That came after Simmons told the Sixers this summer that he wanted to be traded and wouldn’t report to training camp.
Simmons joined the team right before the start of the season, but never played in a game. He told the Sixers that he wasn’t mentally ready to play for the team. That led to his salary being docked $360,000 for each game he missed. For a while, the Sixers also fined him for small indiscretions like failing to tape his ankles for practice.
Early on, Simmons was more of a distraction than anything else.
Back on Oct. 19, the day before the season opener at the New Orleans Pelicans, Simmons was thrown out of practice and suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team.
A league source said Simmons was kicked out for failing to engage during drills. Sixers coach Doc Rivers had an exchange with Simmons about his lack of effort. The conversation ended with Rivers asking Simmons if wanted to go home or be more engaged, the source said. So the three-time All-Star left.
But as the season progressed, it was hard to tell that Simmons was still a member of the team. He didn’t accompany them to games. Nor did his teammates talk about him in the media. It was as if everyone was waiting for him to get dealt at the trade deadline for a fresh start.
The Sixers were notified after the season through his agent that Simmons wanted to be traded. The team made it known he was available in trade, but demanded equal value in return. Simmons had no interaction with the Sixers’ brass until late August when Rivers, managing partner Josh Harris, general manager Elton Brand, and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey met with him in Los Angeles. At that point, he personally demanded a trade and told them that he wasn’t coming to training camp.
Simmons made good on his word through almost all of preseason before ending his 14-day holdout on Oct. 11, when he showed up for a COVID-19 test and entered the league’s health and safety protocols.
