It sounds like things have the potential to get quite ugly between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Simmons has informed the 76ers that he wants to be traded, and will not attend training camp with the team if he isn’t moved. That could be significant, and might show how seriously the Sixers will take the situation. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on “The Hoop Collective” podcast that the Sixers can fine Simmons for skipping camp, and the sum would be significant.
“Bobby Marks set me straight on this. (Simmons) can be fined $227,000 a day for not showing up,” Windhorst said. “Typically, NBA teams, especially in training camp, work six days a week. That means that if they wanted to fine him for every week, he could be fined about $1.3 million dollars. That is what they could do. The Simmons side, basically, has told me ‘we are prepared for that ramification.'”
Windhorst noted that Simmons wouldn’t get his first check until November 15, so he can’t really be fined prior to then. That essentially gives both sides roughly ten weeks to sort out the situation before an actual fine can be assessed.
It’s not clear what Simmons’ market is, nor is it clear if the 76ers would actually follow through on this. That said, doing so would probably please one analyst who wants to see the organization stand firm against Simmons’ camp.
