Ben Simmons’ trade rumors have been the biggest talking point for most of the free agency. The 25-year-old star is unsettled and wants to leave Philly as soon as possible. While several teams are interested in acquiring Simmons, a deal has yet to be reached for various reasons.
For starters, the 76ers’ asking price is a tad bit too much. Moreover, Simmons is a bit choosy in terms of where he wants to play. He reportedly wants to join a team in California.
Whatever be the case, one thing is certain: that the drama around the future of the 3x All-Star is getting worse with each passing day. Following these developments, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley weighed in about the situation.
“This is total BS, and if I’m the Sixers — we had our annual Sixers dinner the other night, and I said to those guys, ‘I will call Ben Simmons. If you want to be traded, that is fine. We’re not giving you away. We’re not going to trade you to where you want to be traded.
“‘For someone who wants to give up the deal, we’re not taking 25 cents on the dollar. If we don’t get the deal we want, you are going to be playing right here in Philadelphia. You don’t run the 76ers; we gave you $200 million, the only thing we ask you to do is shoot the damn basketball, and now you’re mad because we’re telling you to shoot the basketball.'”
Ben Simmons’ inability to shoot has played a major role in tanking his trade value. His performances in the 2021 NBA playoffs have further led to teams being a bit skeptical about his value in the league.
To top that off, Simmons has been continuously accused of being mentally soft. Charles Barkley also believes that.
“That was the softest criticism; that is a fair criticism. First of all, I blame Ben No. 1 because he’s already got one coach ran out of town because he wouldn’t shoot the ball, but now he’s on the clock.”
Combining the above-mentioned flaws in Simmons’ game, trading him has become a nightmare for the Philadelphia 76ers.
