Did Ben Simmons miss all his 76ers games this season, as he claimed, due to mental-health issues? Or was he just holding out to induce a trade?
Philadelphia’s judgment seemed apparent, as the team reportedly fined him more than $19 million before dealing him to the Nets.
But 76ers president Daryl Morey said he believes Simmons.
Morey on the “Rights To Ricky Sanchez” podcast:
Morey saying he believes Simmons after the team kept fining Simmons seems incongruous. Perhaps, the fines weren’t Morey’s call. Or maybe Simmons got fined due to not taking, in the team’s eyes, proper steps with his mental-health issues.
However, Simmons – after resistance – met with a 76ers-recommended mental-health specialist in November. The fines reportedly continued long after.
Simmons said his mental-health issues related to his personal life and predated last year’s playoffs. But he also said feeling he couldn’t get to a good place mentally in Philadelphia contributed to his trade request.
Morey said last season he wouldn’t trade Simmons then offered Simmons to the Rockets for James Harden in January 2021. That wasn’t the first time a player saw Morey as far from upfront about trade talks. The executive doesn’t deserve benefit of the doubt.
Throughout the standoff with Simmons, Morey sometimes seemed to antagonize Simmons. Simmons’ behavior was surely frustrating for the 76ers. But Morey’s callousness didn’t help.
Morey sounds like he has learned from this experience. That said, weak interpersonal relationships with his players is a longstanding criticism of Morey. It’s on him to show he has grown in that area.