Sixers Notes: Simmons, Brogdon, Riller, Defense
Recent reports have indicated that Sixers star Ben Simmons and his representatives fully understand the financial ramifications of the 25-year-old’s holdout and are prepared to ride it out, but Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com hears that those financial ramifications are starting to hit home for Simmons’ camp.
According to Neubeck, after Simmons was fined approximately $360K for missing Philadelphia’s first preseason game on Monday, his reps had another conversation with the players’ union. Sources tell PhillyVoice.com that it was reiterated during that discussion that Simmons wouldn’t be able to recoup the money he loses in fines.
As Neubeck writes, Simmons would have the ability to attempt to recoup his lost salary through the arbitration process, but the general belief is that he’d be unsuccessful going that route. The only real path to getting that money back would be reaching a settlement with the 76ers, but the team will have little incentive to negotiate such a deal.
Here’s more on Simmons and the Sixers:
- A source tells Neubeck that Simmons’ camp believes the development of the former No. 1 pick has been evaluated on an “accelerated timeline,” since he missed his rookie season and then was expected to be a key part of a contending team almost instantly. Most other top picks join bad teams and don’t face such intense scrutiny early in their careers, Simmons’ camp has contended. While some members of the Sixers are sympathetic to that argument, they believe it “went out the window” after he signed a maximum-salary contract, writes Neubeck.
- In addition to discussing Caris LeVert, the Sixers have also inquired about Malcolm Brogdon in their trade conversations with the Pacers, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. Brogdon’s name surfaced in Simmons-related rumors early in the offseason as well.
- Grant Riller, who is on a two-way contract with the 76ers, suffered a torn left meniscus on Monday, a team official said today (Twitter link via Derek Bodner of The Athletic). Riller is undergoing surgery and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
- Rich Hofmann of The Athletic examines the Sixers’ game plan without Simmons, particularly on defense, where last season’s Defensive Player of the Year runner-up will be missed most. “It’s a collective thing,” swingman Danny Green said. “We’re not going to leave each assignment that Ben has taken on to one person. We’re going to do it as a group.”
NBPA’s Roberts: Players Who Miss Games Due To Local Vaccine Mandates Shouldn’t Lose Salary
The National Basketball Players Association didn’t sign off on allowing teams to dock players 1/91.6th of their salaries for 2021/22 if they’re unable to play in a game due to a local vaccine mandate, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
The NBA announced last week that unvaccinated players who are ineligible to play in games in New York and San Francisco wouldn’t be paid for the games they miss due to those cities’ local mandates. A follow-up report indicated that the league and the players’ union had agreed on the amount of the fine for such a violation.
However, Roberts tells Bondy that while the NBPA approved that per-game penalty (1/91.6th of a player’s salary) for certain health and safety protocol violations, the union doesn’t believe it should apply to players who miss games solely for being unvaccinated.
“They’ve been reporting that we’ve agreed that if a player who was not able to play because of his non-vaccination status, they could be docked (pay),” Roberts said. “We did not agree. The league’s position is that they can. We’ll see. If we get to that point, we’ll see.”
As Roberts explains, the NBPA’s position is that a player shouldn’t be punished for being unvaccinated, since the NBA has no vaccine mandate of its own for its players. The league’s stance, per Roberts, is that the Collective Bargaining Agreement allows teams to assess those penalties without NBPA approval.
“It’s debatable. We’ll see,” Roberts said. “I’m not going to say it’s impossible, but I’m going to say it’s a bridge we’ll cross, if and when we get there. Right now, we’ve agreed that a player breaks protocols, that he can be disciplined to include some taxing of his comp. But not being vaccinated — because it’s not mandatory — in and of itself should not lead to any discipline.”
As far as we know, the only NBA player who is in real danger of being docked salary for missing games due to his vaccination status is Nets guard Kyrie Irving. The local mandates in New York and San Francisco don’t apply to visiting players, and no other Nets, Knicks, or Warriors players have been reported as unvaccinated. An unvaccinated player in another market – such as Wizards guard Bradley Beal – should still be able to play in all 82 games.
[RELATED: Nets Unsure About Plan For Kyrie Irving]
While Irving, Beal, and a handful of other unvaccinated players have been the subject of an outsized number of headlines since training camps began, Roberts reiterated that the vast majority of NBA players are fully vaccinated. She told Kavitha Davidson of The Athletic (Twitter link) that there’s now a 96% vaccination rate among NBA players, noting that vaccinated players have played a role in helping convince some of the holdouts.
“We’re doing better than companies who are mandatory vaccinations because we’re at 95-96%,” Roberts said to Bondy. “100% is still an aspiration.”
And-Ones: Training Camps, Ignite, Incentives, Extensions
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers believes it would be good for the NBA to give teams more time in the fall to prepare for the regular season. While Rivers doesn’t think the preseason needs to be extended, he’d like to see the league give teams the opportunity to hold longer training camps.
“Five (preseason) games, four games, three games, I actually think that’s the right number‚” Rivers said, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m not really sure what the right number is, because every year it really depends on who your team is. But the week of camp is absurd to me. I think you should have more time. Two weeks would be great.”
As Rivers explains, he believes giving players a longer ramp-up period leading up to the regular season would help reduce injuries during the season.
“I think health-wise it would be smarter if we had more time,” he said.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA G League Ignite announced this week in a press release that they’ve added 10 games to their schedule for the 2021/22 season, beginning in January. The Ignite is taking part in the G League tournament that will open the season, but won’t participate in the subsequent NBAGL regular season. While these newly-added 10 games will be against G League opponents, they won’t count toward the league’s standings.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) takes an in-depth look at some of the most interesting – and potentially impactful – incentives included in player contracts around the NBA for the 2021/22 season.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic applied his player-valuation formula to this year’s remaining candidates for rookie scale extensions, attempting to determine what those deals should be worth and which players have a decent chance to get something done by the October 18 deadline.
- In a deep dive for The Athletic, Jon Krawczysnki and Kelly Iko spoke to Timberwolves and Rockets sources about Jimmy Butler‘s and James Harden‘s trade demands to get a sense of what it’s like for an organization when a star player attempts to force his way out of town. While Butler’s and Harden’s efforts were successful, Sixers star Ben Simmons remains in limbo.
Rockets Waive Khyri Thomas To Complete Trade With Nets
The Rockets have officially waived wing Khyri Thomas, the team announced today in a press release.
The move was necessary in order to make room on Houston’s 20-man preseason roster for Sekou Doumbouya, whom the club agreed to acquire from the Nets. Even though the Rockets intend to waive Doumbouya, they needed an open roster spot to complete the trade, which is now official, according to press releases from both the Rockets and Nets.
Thomas, 25, was the 38th overall pick in the 2018 draft. He appeared in 34 games for Detroit in his first two NBA seasons, but saw limited action, averaging just 2.3 PPG and 1.0 RPG in 10.5 MPG.
After being traded to Atlanta and waived during the 2020 offseason, Thomas caught on with the Rockets near the end of the 2020/21 season, playing well in five games with the team (16.4 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 3.6 RPG in 30.6 MPG). Houston signed him to a multiyear contract, but it wasn’t guaranteed for 2021/22, so the team is able to waive him without taking on dead money.
Thomas will clear waivers on Thursday, assuming he goes unclaimed. Meanwhile, once they waive Doumbouya, the Rockets will have an open spot on their 20-man roster. The Nets will now be able to complete their trade with Indiana, acquiring Edmond Sumner using their newly-created trade exception from the Doumbouya deal.
Community Shootaround: Western Conference Outlook
The Lakers are set to enter the 2021/22 season as the betting favorites to win the Western Conference, but they’re not viewed as the overwhelming frontrunners, with several talented teams expected to give them a run for their money.
In his preseason rankings of all 30 NBA teams, ESPN’s Zach Lowe places the Lakers in the West’s first tier along with the Jazz and the Suns, suggesting that he doesn’t view Los Angeles as being in a tier of its own atop the conference. Lowe isn’t necessarily sold on the supporting cast to the Lakers’ stars, and thinks Phoenix’s young core has room to continue improving.
If the Lakers, Jazz, and Suns all finish in the top six of the West, that leaves just three more teams that can claim a playoff spot without participating in the play-in tournament. Lowe’s next tier of Western teams features five strong candidates for those three postseason spots: the Nuggets, Clippers, Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and Warriors.
As Lowe observes, it’s hard to know what to expect from some of these teams that are missing a star player. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Nuggets guard Jamal Murray are recovering from ACL tears and may not play at all in 2021/22, while Warriors swingman Klay Thompson, coming off an Achilles tear, seems likely to miss at least a couple months or so and may not be at 100% when he returns.
All of those teams still have stars more than capable of carrying the load in Paul George, Nikola Jokic, and Stephen Curry, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll reach their ceilings without a fully healthy lineup. Still, Lowe considers Denver and Golden State good bets to crack the West’s top six, along with Dallas, potentially leaving the Clippers and Blazers to earn their postseason berths in the play-in tournament.
While those may be considered the top eight teams in the West, there are several more clubs with playoff aspirations. Lowe places the Grizzlies a notch above a tier that includes the Pelicans, Kings, Timberwolves, and Spurs, but acknowledges that at least one club – and possibly two – from that latter group figures to qualify for the play-in.
All five teams of those teams are young and will count on recent lottery picks to make major contributions. All but perhaps San Antonio – which lost several productive veterans – are expecting to take a step forward and make some noise in the West in 2021/22. However, three of those clubs could be left on the outside looking in, unable to even qualify for a play-in spot.
The Rockets and Thunder are in Lowe’s bottom tier, viewed as at least a year away from becoming play-in contenders.
While I think Lowe’s evaluation of the West is reasonable, I’m curious to know what you think. Which teams will claim the top six playoff spot in the conference? Which four will make the play-in tournament, and which two will escape that tourney with the final two postseason berths? Which teams in the West do you expect to exceed or fall short of expectations in 2021/22?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts on the Western Conference!
Southeast Notes: Avdija, Dinwiddie, Ball, Heat, Magic
Wizards forward Deni Avdija, who fractured his right ankle in April, participated in 5-on-5 scrimmages on Monday for the first time during his recovery process, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The team is hoping Avdija will be able to return to the court during the preseason, perhaps as soon as Saturday.
Meanwhile, another player coming off a major injury – Spencer Dinwiddie – is making a strong early impression with his new club. Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said on Tuesday that he has been “pleasantly surprised” with how Dinwiddie looks this fall, suggesting that the veteran point guard appears “he’s back to normal” following his partial ACL tear last December (Twitter link via Ava Wallace of The Washington Post).
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- LaMelo Ball looks fully healthy after dealing with a wrist injury at the end of last season, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, who notes that the Hornets have inserted Miles Bridges into their starting lineup this season at least in part to take advantage of the chemistry between him and Ball.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic was surprised that the win-now Heat weren’t more willing to cross the luxury tax line this offseason, pointing out that they could’ve given free agent guard Kendrick Nunn the same deal he got from the Lakers and remained below the hard cap. As Hollinger outlines, Miami could avoid the tax this season and next, but project to be a taxpayer in 2023/24 if Tyler Herro is extended.
- The Magic started rookies Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner alongside veterans Gary Harris, Terrence Ross, and Wendell Carter in their first preseason game on Monday, but head coach Jamahl Mosley said that won’t necessarily be the same group that opens the regular season as the team’s starting five. “The way I try to look at it in this instance was, because it’s an extension of training camp, I’m just going to try looking at different lineups,” Mosley said, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “So it was treating it similar to a practice: We’d have different lineups going against one another, different combinations.”
Nets Unsure About Plan For Kyrie Irving
The Nets still aren’t certain whether or not guard Kyrie Irving intends to get the COVID-19 vaccine and haven’t made a decision about whether they’ll accommodate him as a part-time player this season, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst.
In order to enter public indoor venues in New York City, individuals must have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Irving, who deflected questions about the subject last week, reportedly hasn’t been vaccinated and would be unable to play in home games or participate in Nets practices as long as he remains unvaccinated.
As Wojnarowski and Windhorst explain, the Nets had been optimistic entering the fall that Irving would ultimately get vaccinated and would be fully available, but that optimism has waned as of late. The seven-time All-Star missed the team’s first practice in Brooklyn on Tuesday and the club is now preparing for the possibility that it could be without him for practices and home games for the foreseeable future, per ESPN’s duo.
The Nets have publicly expressed support for Irving, but the organization’s patience may be tested if and when the star point guard starts missing games. Team owner Joe Tsai made comments last week reiterating that the goal is a championship and stating that he hopes to see Kyrie “play fully” in 2021/22.
If Irving remains unvaccinated, the Nets may soon have to decide whether they’re satisfied to have him with the team on and off for half the season or if they’ll keep him sidelined altogether, sources tell Wojnarowski and Windhorst. As Woj and Windhorst point out, Brooklyn’s schedule includes a handful of lengthy homestands, meaning there are times throughout the season when Irving wouldn’t be able to be around his teammates for a week or more at a time.
While ESPN’s report doesn’t explicitly state that a trade is a possibility for Irving, that’s one option the Nets could theoretically consider — New York and San Francisco are the only NBA cities with local vaccine mandates, so Irving would be able to remain unvaccinated and play in all of his home games if he were sent to any team besides the Knicks or Warriors.
Still, Irving is close with Nets stars Kevin Durant and James Harden, and the team has expressed interest in signing him to a contract extension, so moving him would represent a pretty drastic change of direction for a club with championship aspirations. It’s also not clear what sort of value Irving would have on the trade market at this point, given the various off-court dramas that have followed him in recent years.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, remaining unvaccinated would cost Irving significantly from a financial perspective. The 29-year-old has a base salary of nearly $35MM this season, but would lose about $381K for each game he misses due to New York’s vaccine mandate. That would add up to more than $17MM in lost salary over the course of the season after taking into account preseason contests, Nets home games, and Brooklyn’s two games at Madison Square Garden.
Super-Max Candidates To Watch In 2021/22
The Designated Veteran extension, as we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, is a relatively new addition to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. It allows players with seven, eight, or nine years of NBA service, who would normally be eligible for a maximum starting salary of 30% of the cap, to qualify for a “super-max” contract that starts at 35% of the cap, a level normally reserved players with 10+ years of experience.
A player who has seven or eight years of NBA service with one or two years left on his contract becomes eligible for a Designated Veteran extension if he meets the required performance criteria and hasn’t been traded since his first four years in the league. A Designated Veteran contract can also be signed by a player who is technically a free agent if he has eight or nine years of service and meets the required criteria.
The performance criteria is as follows (only one of the following must be true):
- The player was named to an All-NBA team and/or was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or in two of the last three seasons.
- The player was named the NBA MVP in any of the three most recent seasons.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN writes, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic met the super-max performance criteria this past season when he won his first MVP award. However, since he still has only six years of NBA experience under his belt, he can’t actually sign a super-max contract with Denver until the 2022 offseason. At that point, he could tack on five years and a projected $253MM+ to the one year left on his current deal.
For the time being, Jokic is the best bet to receive a Designated Veteran extension a year from now, but there are other players who could join him. Here’s a look at some super-max candidates to watch during the 2021/22 season:
Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves)
Towns has one All-NBA season under his belt already, having made the Third Team in 2018. Towns played in all 82 regular season games that year and Minnesota made the postseason for the only time during his six-year career.
Towns might not need the Wolves to get back to the postseason in order to earn a spot on the 2021/22 All-NBA team, but he’ll need to stay healthier than he has the last couple years — he has appeared in just 85 games since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, missing 51. If he plays 70+ games this season and puts up the same sort of numbers he has in the three years since his last All-NBA season (25.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 1.4 BPG on .506/.399/.834 shooting), he’ll have a great case.
Should he make an All-NBA team in 2022, Towns would be eligible for a four-year super-max extension that goes into effect in 2024/25. We’re too far out to accurately project the value of such a deal, but if the salary cap increases to, say, $130MM by that point, a four-year super-max extension for Towns would be worth nearly $204MM.
Devin Booker (Suns)
Booker’s current contract with the Suns looks essentially identical to Towns’ deal with the Timberwolves, since both players signed five-year, maximum-salary contracts at the same time. As such, Booker is in a similar situation — if he makes an All-NBA team in 2022, he could sign a four-year, super-max extension that would begin in 2024/25 and could be worth in excess of $200MM.
Unlike Towns, Booker hasn’t been an All-NBA player before, but he has a realistic shot. When the Suns posted the NBA’s best record in 2020/21, it was Chris Paul – rather than Booker – who earned All-NBA Second Team honors for both his performance and the impact his arrival had on a young Phoenix team.
But if the Suns are in contention for a top seed in the West again this season, it could be Booker’s turn to receive serious All-NBA consideration. He’s a safe bet to lead the team in scoring and he’s entering his age-25 season, whereas Paul – at age 36 – may see his numbers start to fall off a little going forward.
If Booker does become eligible for a super-max, it will be interesting to see whether the Suns are prepared to offer it to him, given the recent reports on team ownership’s reluctance to commit max money to Deandre Ayton.
Zach LaVine (Bulls)
Unlike Towns or Booker, LaVine will be a free agent during the 2022 offseason. He was an extension candidate this offeason, but once the Bulls used their potential cap room on roster upgrades rather than a renegotiation of LaVine’s 2021/22 salary, the odds of him signing a long-term extension plummeted.
Since LaVine is earning a relatively modest $19.5MM salary in 2021/22, his max extension without a renegotiation would only be worth in the neighborhood of $106MM over four years — and a renegotiation is only possible with cap room.
That means LaVine will almost certainly reach free agency in 2022. That takes an extension off the table, he could still qualify for the super-max as a free agent if he makes an All-NBA team this season.
Earning an All-NBA spot may be a longer shot for LaVine than for Towns or Booker. Not many centers will put up better numbers than Towns, and Booker’s role as the top scorer for a potential title contender will automatically put him in the conversation. LaVine is coming off a monster year, in which he established a new career high in PPG (27.4) and earned his first All-Star berth, but he has a reputation as a subpar defender and the Bulls haven’t made the playoffs during his four years with the franchise.
If LaVine maintains his impressive offensive numbers and shows improvements on defense while the new-look Bulls force their way into the playoff mix, an All-NBA nod becomes a more realistic possibility. In that scenario, LaVine would be eligible for a five-year super-max contract worth a projected $241.6MM. Whether Chicago would be comfortable putting that type of offer on the table is another story altogether.
The rookie scale extension recipients
Trae Young (Hawks), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), and Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets) all signed five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extensions this offseason that project to start at 25% of the 2022/23 cap, for a five-year value of $172.5MM.
However, all three players also received Rose Rule language in their deals. This is another form of the super-max — unlike the Designated Veteran contracts, which start at 35% of the cap instead of 30%, a player who meets the Rose Rule criteria gets a starting salary worth 30% of the cap rather than 25%.
The performance criteria for a Rose Rule salary increase are essentially the exact same as for a Designated Veteran bump, but must be achieved by the end of the player’s four-year rookie contract. That means Young, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Porter would have to make the All-NBA team in 2022 in order to increase the value of their respective extensions to $207MM over five years — an All-NBA berth in 2023 or 2024 would be too late.
Of the three players, Young might be the best bet to make an All-NBA team this season. Like Booker, he’s the go-to offensive option on a team coming off a deep playoff run. He should rank among the NBA’s leaders in both points and assists. If he improves upon last season’s .438/.343/.886 shooting numbers and Atlanta has another strong season, he’ll have a solid case.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, the other young star to get a maximum-salary rookie scale extension this summer, already qualified for the bump to 30% of the cap by making the All-NBA team in his second and third NBA seasons. His five-year deal will be worth a projected $207MM no matter how he performs in 2021/22.
The rest
While there are other veteran players who could technically qualify for the super-max this season, none are particularly compelling candidates. Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis and Pacers center Myles Turner are perhaps the most intriguing, especially since Turner could be a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year contender. But I have a hard time imagining either player receiving a super-max offer even in the unlikely event that they qualify for one.
Among players on rookie scale contracts, Suns center Deandre Ayton is the other candidate to monitor. Ayton is reportedly seeking Rose Rule language in a maximum-salary extension with Phoenix, but the two sides are at an impasse in their negotiations.
I’d be a little surprised if Ayton becomes an All-NBA player this season, but there are so few star centers around the league that it’s not out of the question, especially if he takes on a larger offensive role going forward. If Ayton and the Suns don’t agree to an extension this month and he earns an All-NBA nod in 2022, he’d be eligible for a 30% max (five years, $207MM) with Phoenix as a restricted free agent next summer.
Nets Notes: Irving, Millsap, Aldridge, Luxury Tax
Nets guard Kyrie Irving wasn’t present at the team’s first practice in Brooklyn on Tuesday, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
In order to enter public indoor venues in New York City, individuals must have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Irving, who deflected questions about the subject last week, is reportedly unvaccinated. He was able to take part in the Nets’ training camp, which took place last week in San Diego, but as long as he remains unvaccinated, he’ll be unable to play or practice in New York.
Head coach Steve Nash didn’t provide any additional details on Irving’s status, as Youngmisuk notes.
“No further update,” Nash told reporters when asked about Irving, adding that he’s “not really worried” about the point guard’s absence. “We support him. We are here for him. Things change. When there’s a resolution, we’re here for him.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- With Nicolas Claxton expected to get regular minutes at center for the Nets, it’s unclear if veterans Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge will both be a consistent part of the rotation to start the season. However, the two big men have made strong cases for themselves so far and even showed on Sunday vs. the Lakers that they might even be capable of playing alongside each other, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “They both had a really good camp,” Nash said. “Both moved well, played well, showed their intellect and skill set. I thought they played quite well together even though it’s not something that we’ve necessarily done traditionally, played the two bigger guys.”
- Even if they don’t end up playing big minutes, Millsap and Aldridge are looking forward to passing their knowledge onto the team’s younger players, per Lewis. “Me and LaMarcus are veteran guys, two of the oldest in the locker room,” Millsap said. “So we’re going to help try to guide some of these younger guys into knowing what the NBA’s all about.”
- Within his preview of the team’s 2021/22 season, John Hollinger of The Athletic speculates that the Nets could explore trades that reduce their projected luxury-tax payment. Hollinger identifies Sekou Doumbouya and DeAndre’ Bembry as two possible trade candidates in that scenario. For what it’s worth, Brooklyn can’t include cash in any more deals this season, having used the maximum $5.785MM in last month’s DeAndre Jordan trade. The Nets do still have some future second-round picks they could use as sweeteners.
Latest On Ben Simmons
The Sixers played their first game of the 2021 preseason on Monday, and – as expected – Ben Simmons wasn’t in the building. The three-time All-Star continues his holdout, having not reported to the team for the 2021/22 season.
The 76ers already withheld an $8.25MM advance payment for Simmons for failing to uphold the terms of his contract, placing that money in an escrow account. According to Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks of ESPN, the team now intends to fine the 25-year-old for each preseason and regular season game he misses.
Those fines – which will come out of the escrow account for the time being – will be worth 1/91.6th of Simmons’ salary for 2021/22, per Bontemps and Marks. That means Simmons will lose about $360K of his $33MM salary for each game he misses, starting with Monday’s contest.
Those penalties will add up quickly. If Simmons sits out the preseason and extends his holdout into the regular season, he’ll have missed 10 games by the end of October — the equivalent of $3.6MM in lost salary.
That fine money won’t be easy for Simmons to recoup. If he’s eventually traded, his new team can’t agree to pay him the lost money, according to ESPN’s duo. That contradicts a weekend report which suggested that Simmons’ new team might be able to waive his fines. Bontemps and Marks says the only path for Simmons to get his fine money back would be by reaching a settlement with the 76ers, and point out that Philadelphia has little incentive to negotiate such a settlement.
Here’s more on Simmons:
- Ian Begley of SNY.tv, confirming that the Sixers and Pacers have talked about the possibility of a Simmons trade, reports that Caris LeVert was among the players discussed in those negotiations. However, Begley cautions that it’s unclear whether talks between the two teams progressed beyond exploratory conversations.
- Begley also says the Kings are among the clubs still eyeing Simmons, adding them to the list of six teams with ongoing interest reported over the weekend.
- According to Begley, members of several organizations around the NBA have privately stated they hope the Sixers don’t trade Simmons, since it would set a bad precedent to relent to a player’s demands when he still has four years left on his contract. Chris Mannix of SI.com spoke to one Eastern Conference executive who expressed that view plainly. “F–k that,” the executive said. “You let a guy force his way out with four years left on a max contract and you set a terrible precedent. They can’t cave.”
- Simmons has put one of his residences in the Philadelphia area up for sale and may put the other one on the market as well, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. While monitoring a player’s real estate holdings typically isn’t a reliable way to suss out his future plans, it’s probably safe to assume there’s a correlation in this case.