The Philadelphia 76ers are dealing with a lot at the moment. They are preparing for the 2021-22 season and continue their title chase, but they are also dealing with the drama surrounding the trade request of Ben Simmons.
Simmons has made it clear he has zero interest in returning to the team and putting on its uniform ever again. He did not show up to training camp and he is not with the team as it takes on the Toronto Raptors on Monday to open the preseason.
The players have been focusing on what they can control. That is fine, but it does not change the reality that the Simmons saga is going to be a problem all season long. The players are going to have to answer questions about Simmons until the situation is resolved and that can cause distractions.
This is not the first time this has happened with a star player requesting a trade. The biggest examples lately are Jimmy Butler with the Minnesota Timberwolves and James Harden with the Houston Rockets. Butler caused numerous problems in Minnesota before he was traded to the Sixers in November 2018. Harden was a bit of a distraction before being moved to the Brooklyn Nets.
Kelly Iko and Jon Krawcyznski of The Athletic interviewed players and front office members of those respective teams at the time of each superstar exit, and one Timberwolves player had some advice:
“I would just tell them, you know all the media, all the questions on media day and in every media availability that will happen moving forward will be about the situation,” said one former Timberwolves player who was on the team when Butler orchestrated his exit in 2018. “That’s just how it’s going to be until that situation is resolved with a trade or if something happens and he decides to come back. That’s literally going to be the focal point, and that’s the only thing that’s going to matter.”
“Obviously there are certain guys who know they’re not going to be included in the deal. But there’s a higher percentage of guys in that locker room that could be on the move as well in some type of deal. That adds another factor to the whole situation as well for why guys just would like a deal to be done so they don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
The Sixers will have to do damage control over the next few weeks or months as they figure out their next move. Simmons is a big talent, and Philadelphia should try and get fair value for him, but at some point, they might have to settle for a little less in order to get this over with.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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