ESPN First Take co-host and high-energy legend Stephen A. Smith is a well-connected man. He constantly has sources hitting him up, and that was no different on yesterday’s installment of First Take. Stephen A. claims to have received a text message from someone allegedly very close to the Ben Simmons situation here in Philadelphia.

To summarize, the former Inquirer reporter received a text claiming Ben Simmons “doesn’t work, doesn’t listen, and is constantly babied.” Pair that with the sender adding that everyone in his close-knit circle is family, and this text does not look particularly good for Ben Simmons.

Of course, we here at The Liberty Line know more than Stephen A., as we have already written about Ben Simmons’ leaked offseason plans. However, we cannot blame Stephen A.’s source, as they clearly are not as close to the situation as I am.

When this clip surfaced, I was initially like, “no shit, everyone is Philly knows this.” After a while, though, my mind started racing with the possibilities of who would text Stephen A. Smith about Ben Simmons, especially this soon after an embarrassment.

Brett Brown

Now, this is easily the most likely, right? Brett constantly clashed with Ben. However, their beef was possibly one of the most passive-aggressive in all of sport.

Brett turned to the media to do a lot of the coaching on his behalf, which ultimately led to him getting shitcanned after the NBA Bubble in Orlando. It would be a natural move for him to bitch to Stephen A. about his former player via green text bubbles (Brett definitely has an Android).

I get trying to salvage your legacy a bit, but this ain’t it, chief.

Either Eskin

This kind of goes without saying. There’s a good chance one or both of those creepazoids had a hand in this. Both these guys care more about themselves and padding their already overinflated egos more than the team or fans they supposedly serve. Definitely sack deep in anyone with a blue checkmark’s DMs that will listen. Their Ben Simmons hate flows through them like Sith lords.

I actually went to school with a member of the Eskin family for a bit in my early youth, and that person was always super cool. We still follow each other on Twitter, so sorry you have to see me and the TLL boys shit on your family! It’s part of the gig, nothing personal to you.

Dr. J

Hear me out, folks. This is not that far-fetched. Dr. J is a Sixers icon and has been around the organization for decades. He sat court side and watched the Sixers blow a 26 point lead at home. In the same city, he battled for a championship in ’83. I’d be embarrassed by association, too.

The only reason I’d discount this is Dr. J is too much of a man to do this kind of stuff behind Ben Simmons’s back.

Franklin

Everybody knows Franklin is one of the most highly touted basketball minds in the mascot industry today. He’s been at every home game for god knows how many years. He’s witnessed Ben Simmons’ regression closer than any of us. The list of suspects goes on. It ranges from Ben’s sister to The Sixth Man, Josh Harris to FaZe Bronny.

I could keep going. So I will.

Honorable Mentions

• Steven Conrad Jr.
• Kendall Jenner
• Joel Embiid (Wouldn’t blame him¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

Honestly, though? It doesn’t matter who said it because it is 100% true. I’ve fought tooth and nail to defend Ben Simmons for years, but it’s time to face facts. He has an off-season to make changes, but they better be drastic. Check out this thread from Jason Dumas today. It’s nothing that should surprise you. We knew this.

Ben Simmons has hit rock bottom. All we can do is hope that he will finally give up control and allow the Sixers to fix his glaring issues on the offensive end of the court. History will tell us, he was never willing to do so before.

Read More on Ben Simmons finally giving up control >>

Another point worth making, offering trade packages for anything less than a superstar in return for Ben Simmons is highly unlikely. So close the trade machine tab on your computer and sit there patiently until we have more legitimate information from inside the 76ers organization on the next steps into addressing the Ben Simmons situation.

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Mandatory Credit: The New York Post, because of course