By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
The saga between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers continues. Following Simmons’ request to be traded and refusal to meet with his Sixers teammates, the player has not yet appeared in the franchise’s training camp.
Per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Sixers will not pay Simmons the 25% of his salary owed to him Friday, according to the terms of his current contract. The point forward previously received the initial 25% of his salary for the 2021-22 season and October 1st was the due date for the second 25%, a sum of nearly $8.25M.
As Fischer further reports, Simmons, once the first pick of the 2016 NBA draft by the Sixers, could respond by actually reporting to the team’s training camp in the coming days, while maintaining his status as injured, following knee and back injuries in the previous two seasons. The franchise will play its first preseason game against the Toronto Raptors this coming Monday.
In the meantime, the Sixers held their media day this past Monday, and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey briefly commented on Simmons’ absence from the training camp. “It’s very clearly spelled out in the CBA and his contract what happens.”