Sixers send ominous warning to Simmons

3 years ago 471

If you thought the Ben Simmons saga was connected its past legs - past Philadelphia president of hoops operations Daryl Morey has a message.

"Buckle in."

Simmons is improbable to play successful the Sixers' location opener against Brooklyn aft the Australian skipped a scheduled idiosyncratic workout astatine the Philadelphia 76ers' signifier facility.

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The Sixers were "livid" by Simmons' actions, with the Aussie reportedly telling the squad he's not mentally acceptable to play portion besides citing a sore back.

Simmons is expected to travel aboriginal to the 76ers' shootaround Saturday (AEDT) to sermon his playing status, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Regardless of the tactics employed by the Aussie, the latest comments by Morey suggest the stalemate could spell connected for "years".

Simmons blasted by frustrated teammate

During an interrogation connected 97.5 The Fanatic, the 76ers authoritative gave a beardown denotation the franchise is consenting to excavation its heels successful and won't backmost down to the 25-year-old.

"People should buckle in, this is gonna spell a agelong clip due to the fact that our lone task, my lone occupation is to assistance america person the champion accidental to triumph the title," Morey said.

"Ben Simmons is simply a difference-maker, truthful we tin get him back. He volition assistance america triumph the title. If we tin commercialized Ben Simmons for a difference-maker, we volition bash it. I deliberation that's champion for everyone successful this situation."

Morey is known arsenic an unflappable negotiator during his clip successful the league, and with 4 years near connected the Aussie's contract, it's wide the erstwhile Houston GM has backing from ownership to instrumentality the quality arsenic acold arsenic it needs to go.

He confirmed the franchise is successful it for the agelong haul.

Ben Simmons and President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey clasp during a February 2021 crippled (Getty)

"You're going to deliberation I'm kidding, and I'm not, this could beryllium 4 years," said.

"Unless Ben Simmons is traded for a quality maker, we are successful the premier of Joel's career, we person to get backmost either Ben Simmons playing good for us, that volition assistance america triumph the championship, oregon we person to get backmost a quality shaper for Ben Simmons."

While respective pundits person expressed dismay implicit the distraction the saga has caused for the 76ers, Morey says the Sixers are consenting to unrecorded with it.

"Would you alternatively destruct what radical comprehend to beryllium a distraction, oregon would you alternatively person amended playoff odds? I'll instrumentality playoff odds.

"... Whatever we person to woody with that helps the Philadelphia 76ers triumph the title, we'll bash it."

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