Ben Simmons and the Sixers front office have been at war this season. Dating back to last year's failed playoff run when the Philadelphia 76ers came up short in the second round, Simmons realized he wanted a fresh start. Therefore, his representatives formally requested a trade.
By the time August rolled around, the Sixers had looked through a handful of offers that didn't interest them. So, they attempted to lure Simmons back in. However, the three-time All-Star already had his mind made up.
Simmons told the Sixers he would hold out from training camp if he's still on the roster. The offseason practice sessions and the preseason came and went without Simmons participating. Although it seemed there was a chance Simmons would return to the floor for the regular season, he has yet to make his 2021-2022 season debut.
The Sixers are now 22 games into the year, and Simmons hasn't shown face on game nights. Right now, it seems trade talks regarding Simmons are paused, if not non-existent. And a plan for Simmons to return to the court has yet to be drawn up.
Going into Philly's Wednesday night game against the Boston Celtics, 76ers head coach Doc Rivers was asked for an update regarding the Simmons saga. To no surprise, the head coach made it clear that he's not thinking about a player that's not around the team for the current four-game trip. Instead, he'll leave all of that talk up to the Sixers' front office as the outcome of the situation is ultimately in their hands.
"I literally don't even talk about it," said Rivers regarding the Simmons saga. "I coach the team, the guys I can see every day. I try to stay on that. I let Daryl (Morey) and Elton (Brand) deal with all the other stuff."
Rivers' recent unwillingness to discuss the Simmons situation is far from shocking and even understandable. As any potential deal isn't up to him to make, Rivers feels he should only focus on what he can control. And as the Sixers are off to a .500 start to the 2021-2022 season without Simmons, the head coach should only be focused on helping his team turn things around after they've dealt with a handful of other issues.
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