Ben Simmons NBA future uncertain, according to report

Ben Simmons is at a major crossroads in his NBA career. The former LSU star, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft, is putting his foot down in his desire to be traded and will not report to training camp, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

“Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons will not report for opening of training camp next week and intends to never play another game for the franchise,” Wojnarowski tweeted on Tuesday. “Simmons hasn’t spoken to team since a late August meeting when he communicated this message to Sixers officials.”

According to Spotrac, the NBA collective bargaining agreement states that any player who refuses to show up would be suspended and could be fined up to 1/145th of his base salary. For Simmons, that would mean $227,613 lost per day.

Simmons standoff

The positions of both sides in this standoff are pretty clear. Simmons reportedly wants out of Philadelphia, isn’t interested in playing for the Sixers again. 

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that Simmons has been sending a message to the 76ers that “it’s not his job to fix his trade value.” Windhorst added Simmons will receive half of his $33 million this season on October 1st, leading to the fact that Simmons does not care about playing because he will be paid regardless. 

Simmons trade rumors

Most rumors surrounding Simmons haven’t been legitimate, but Windhorst is known to have close ties to LeBron James and Klutch, so his word is reliable on this. Today’s report shows Simmons is willing to lose a huge chunk of cash by not reporting to training camp, so it’s likely the former LSU star will be playing his NBA future for another franchise.

This will continue to be a story to monitor for all LSU basketball fans, 76ers fans, or anyone with a rooting interest in the NBA.