Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers has opened up about the toll the Ben Simmons saga had on the team before Philadelphia traded him to the Nets in a package for All-Star guard James Harden.
Rivers had towed the line in the lead up to the blockbuster trade, giving little away as the front office worked tirelessly to get a deal done behind the scenes. Now that the trade is done and dusted, the Sixers coach admitted the issue weighed heavily on the team.
“The guys were just over it,” Rivers told Sports Illustrated. “We were winning games, and, every town we went to, we were talking about Ben.
READ MORE: The Warne question that left Border on the verge of tears
READ MORE: Legend recalls Warne’s crazy Ferrari joyride with lucky fan
READ MORE: The hilarious Warne sledge that backfired spectacularly
“I don’t know if we could have gotten through the second half of the season with that hanging over our heads. I was praying something happened.”
Simmons last month was traded to Brooklyn after a lengthy trade standoff with the 76ers.
In what’s been viewed as the biggest trade of the season, the Nets received Simmons, three-point specialist Seth Curry, centre Andre Drummond and multiple first-round picks to acquire former MVP Harden.
Simmons, who is out of action due to a back injury, is yet to play a game this season.
The Australian is expected to file a formal grievance against Philadelphia after they held back close to $27 million of his salary for not training and being with the team or game day. He is currently in the second year of a five-year contract worth close to $240 million.
During his time this season with the 76ers, Simmons didn’t travel or train with the team before he was eventually traded, citing mental health issues as the main contributor for needing time away.
“He was losing a lot of money,” 76ers star Joel Embiid told Sports Illustrated. “At some point, I started to feel bad for him.”
Embiid according to bookmakers is the current favourite to win this year’s MVP award.
The 76ers big man says he has no hard feelings towards his former teammate.
“We never saw him [around the Sixers facility],” said Embiid.
“I don’t have any hard feelings. I don’t have any hate toward him. I wouldn’t mind being friends. That’s just me. I don’t care. Honestly. I respect the decision he made. I think it’s unfortunate what happened, but to me, it’s whatever.”
The Nets have made it clear in recent weeks their optimism surrounding a return to court for Simmons.
Nets head coach Steve Nash revealed last week that Simmons is dealing with a herniated disc in his back.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!