Ben Simmons reportedly ‘willing not to report to training camp’ to get out of Philadelphia

The Ben Simmons trade saga seems to be changing every day and another development on Wednesday has revealed his relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers has become even more sour.

Following an underwhelming playoffs stint, multiple reports in the off-season suggested the 76ers were more than willing to part ways with Simmons.

Inevitably, there has been heavy speculation about where the three-time NBA All-Star will play in the 2021/22 season, but former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins has hinted Simmons will not be representing the Sixers.

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“Ben Simmons is not answering the phone calls, he don’t want to be with the 76ers, and from what I heard, he’s willing not to report to training camp, and will go as long as it takes for him to get out of Philly,” Perkins told ESPN’s The Jump.

“So I say where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

NBA reporter Jason Dumas tweeted last week that Simmons has “cut off communication with basically everyone in the Sixers organisation” and is “open to” joining the Golden State Warriors.

Ben Simmons is reportedly desperate to get out of Philadelphia.Source:Getty Images

Simmons faces an uncertain future amid reports he has been linked to trade discussions with several teams, including as trade bait for the Sixers’ pursuit of Portland Trailblazers star Damian Lillard.

The Athletic’s Derek Bodner reported Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey was “almost singularly-focused” on the James Harden situation (where Simmons was reportedly put on the negotiating table) earlier in the season and is now keeping a “watchful eye” on Lillard.

Lillard has four years and $176.5 million ($A235m) left on his deal at Portland.

“When you go into free agency and things like this, you never know what happens,” Lillard said during the Tokyo Olympics.

“You never know where guys are going to end up and why they go there. You just try to have conversations and convince guys to be a part of our team.

“And obviously, this go around, we wasn’t able to go out there and just get some of the guys that we would have liked, and you go down the list and you go through the guys that are out there that you like who haven’t committed to a team or was a part of your plans in free agency and you get the ones that want to be a part of what you’re doing. And I think that’s what we did.”

Damian Lillard won gold in Tokyo.Source:Getty Images

In July, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported that talks between the Toronto Raptors and 76ers were “considered to be the most advanced of any early conversations” for Simmons.

But according to The Sacramento Bee, Kings general manager Monte McNair is aiming to “make a major move” in the NBA trade market, and will be targeting Simmons and Pascal Siakam.

The 25-year-old had an extraordinary shooting meltdown in the NBA playoffs this year during Philadelphia’s series loss to Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

A recent video of Simmons working out in the gym and dropping threes triggered all the predictable jokes about the Australian’s jump shot woes.

– with foxsports.com.au

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