The Philadelphia 76ers have withheld an $11 million payment to Ben Simmons as part of the $45m he’s owed this year, as the trade stalemate continues.
The trade scenario involving the Australian has yet to gain traction and will unlikely come to a head in the near future, with all teams currently looking to shape their rosters after training camp with the season set to begin in under three weeks.
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According to an ESPN report the owed money, which is 25 per cent of his salary this year, has been put in an escrow account, with any fines accrued for not showing up set to be taken from there.
Simmons and his agent are “prepared” for whatever the Sixers throw at them and the move isn’t expected to derail his desire to leave, the report states.
The 76ers have repeatedly tried to smooth the situation with the disgruntled Aussie, with coach Doc Rivers urging Simmons to come back in recent weeks.
However, their latest chess move has been described as a “declaration of war” by NBA insiders.
“It is definitely a throwing down of the gauntlet,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on The Jump.
“And if this wasn’t already a war, this is a declaration of war that pretty much closes the door tight on Ben Simmons having any interest in bridging this gap in reporting.”
The next sequence in the saga is set for Tuesday (AEST), when the 76ers play their first preseason game in Toronto against the Raptors. Simmons
If Simmons doesn’t return to the team before that game, he will be fined over $300,000 for each and every game he misses going forward.
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