Philly Voice’s Kyle Neubeck released a fantastic article yesterday expanding on the bizarre situation the 76ers are currently in with Ben Simmons. You can check out the full article here but I’ll pull some key points below just so everyone can really see how weird things continue to get. 

First things first, the Sixers are fining Ben Simmons. Simmons, who was supposed to get paid a large chunk of his contract for this year on October 1st, did not get paid. Instead, the 76ers put the money owed to Simmons in an escrow account and have begun taking money back for each fine that Ben Simmons gets for holding out instead of joining the 76ers. 

Obviously, this is amazing. The fact that Ben Simmons is not getting his way brings tears of joy to my eyes. I love a good grudge and keeping Simmons from earning money is the greatest thing ever. Simmons, is now selling all his Philadelphia properties, which obviously isn’t a direct relation to him losing what is now nearing a half million dollars, but I like to think he’s preparing for future losses. 

Okay so now here’s the best part about Simmons not getting paid and getting fined. According to Neubeck’s report, Klutch Sports and Rich Paul contacted the NBA Players Association in attempt to get some of the money owed to Ben Simmons. The NBAPA reiterated to Rich Paul that the money could not be recovered. 

Every single day we have been subjected to bullshit stories about Ben Simmons, all being fed to hungry media members looking to please Rich Paul and Klutch Sports. ESPN even has Brian Windhorst on their payroll, who recently said that it was an “act of war” against Ben Simmons by the 76ers not paying him, even though it is Simmons who is not showing up to fulfill his max contract. 

There were reports that Ben Simmons didn’t want to play with Joel Embiid anymore. More reports saying that Ben Simmons wants to be on a team that is built around his skillset. Nothing has worked, and has just left Simmons deeper in a hole with not only the 76ers organization but just general public perception. He and Klutch Sports have handled this entire situation in probably the worst way possible. 

Back to Neubeck’s article, Klutch Sports has given “only one” consistent message. What is that message? Instead of me typing it out, here’s the exact excerpt from the article. 

A source familiar with the conversations between Simmons’ camp and the Sixers told PhillyVoice that the only consistent or clear message this offseason was about the accelerated timeline Simmons has been evaluated on compared to other No. 1 overall picks. In most instances, agent Rich Paul and others have pointed out, top picks are sent to bad teams where they can figure out who they are and how their career is going to play out. Having missed his first year out of LSU due to injury, Simmons joined Embiid to form a partnership capable of winning 50 games right away, and the Sixers have been considered contenders (or at least pseudo contenders) at various points during the last three seasons, increasing scrutiny on his development. 

That is probably the craziest reasoning for wanting Ben Simmons out of Philadelphia. But as Neubeck continued to state in his article, there is a growing feeling that Rich Paul and Klutch Sports are just “throwing stuff at the wall and hoping something sticks.” 

Good news, is that the 76ers are doing everything right, while Simmons and his camp continue to crash and burn. At this point, the only way Ben Simmons can save himself, would be to disavow Klutch Sports, Rich Paul, and the strategy that they tried to use to force him out of Philadelphia.

If he does that, and obviously, shoots the basketball, there’s still a chance that this relationship can be repaired. Unfortunately for Simmons, he is running out of options and taking financial hits every single day until something changes. 

I absolutely love it. 

Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports