By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
With the last appearance in an NBA game dating back to the 2021 Playoffs, Ben Simmons reached a confidential settlement agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers to recoup a portion of last season’s withheld salary.
Simmons, 26, seeing eye to eye with the Sixers on the grievance filed was reported by ESPN. After he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, both sides engaged in talks on multiple occasions over the last few months but failed to reach an agreement on the nearly $20M withheld. While attempting to work out a solution for several months, the Philadelphia organization kept approximately $360K for each game he missed.
Since being selected with the first overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft, Simmons logged 309 games played over three seasons with the 76ers. Following the turmoil stemming from the 2021 Playoffs, he refused to report to training camp. Apart from limited participation in team activities, he ultimately extended the holdout all the way to the Regular Season citing mental health reasons.
Last February, he was traded to the Nets along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two future first-round draft picks. The compensation for the Sixers was James Harden and Paul Millsap.
The Nets have paid Simmons his full salary since adding him to the team roster. But a back injury prevented him from finally returning to action during the 2021-22 season. He underwent back surgery in the offseason.
Coming out of Louisiana State, he inked a five-year, $170 million maximum contract in 2019.
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