If the past few years taught fans anything about the NBA, it's that if a player wants out, he will eventually get his wish.
James Harden in Houston, Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio, Anthony Davis in New Orleans and, of course, Jimmy Butler in Minnesota. All got their wish.
They differed in what courses they took, but all involved calculated media leaks and becoming a headache to their current teams to underscore their desire to leave.
Ben Simmons and his representatives at Klutch Sports know the script — Klutch helped engineer Davis' way out of New Orleans, and Simmons is taking notes from Butler's unceremonious exit from the Wolves in an attempt to expedite his way out of Philadelphia.
ESPN reported Tuesday that Simmons won't report to training camp and doesn't intend to play for the franchise, which is essentially what the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in August. The leaks tend to bleed into each other at times in these kinds of situations. This was the most likely outcome when Philadelphia declined to move off pie-in-the-sky trade demands when free agency was happening and the league was shifting, and 76ers brass made it clear they didn't think they could win with Simmons.
Those comments have made a potential return untenable, even if Simmons would merely play a few games while the team works to deal him, as the Wolves did with Butler. Just how it affects Philadelphia's asking price — and if General Manager Daryl Morey will come down from his reported stances in the summer — is unknown.
There are differences between the Butler and Simmons situations; Butler was on an expiring contract, and Simmons has four years left on a max deal. Simmons, 25, is also younger than Butler was three years ago, when he was 29.
The Wolves want Simmons, even if they can't publicly say so. From the day Gersson Rosas took over as president, he said he will have the Wolves prepared to make a deal anytime young star players become available. He swung the deal for D'Angelo Russell and will try to do it again.
