Ben Simmons sat down with the 76ers brass in Los Angeles last summer and demanded a trade, letting the front office know he had no intention of attending training camp or playing in the 2021-22 season.
The embattled point guard made good on that threat, only briefly joining the team for practice during the preseason. In response, the Sixers withheld his salary, fined him for failing to show up to training camp, practices, and games, and placed the money in an escrow account.
Simmons’ representatives, including his Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul, disagreed with the Sixers’ course of action. They contended that Simmons’ brief stint with the team ended because he needed to focus on his mental health. The Sixers traded Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets in the blockbuster deal for James Harden on Feb. 10.
Both sides have finally met in the middle and come to a settlement agreement on Simmons’ grievance to recoup $20 million lost during the 2021-22 season, a Sixers official confirmed Monday. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Simmons and the National Basketball Players Association filed the grievance in April after Simmons’ representatives and the Sixers could not reach an agreement.
Although he did not play for the Nets after he was traded, Simmons was paid his entire salary for the second half of the season. It was thought that he might play in Game 4 of the team’s first-round series against the Boston Celtics but could not overcome a back injury. The Nets were swept and Simmons had back surgery in May.
The Sixers selected Simmons with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He missed the entire 2016-17 season with a foot injury, but developed into one of the league’s premier playmakers and defenders. He averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists for the Sixers in four seasons. In the process, he garnered a Rookie of Year nod, an All-NBA selection, two All-Star Game appearances, and made two All-Defensive teams.
The settlement brings a sense of finality to a saga that dragged on for months and altered Simmons’ relationship with the city, where he was once beloved and viewed as a key cog in the Sixers’ graduation from “The Process” to contention in the Eastern Conference.
