After 4 Years Of Highs And Lows, Ben Simmons Is Reportedly 'Done' With The Sixers

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Like Carson Wentz before him — but also not like Carson Wentz at all — Sixers star point guard Ben Simmons appears to have finally reached the end of his tenure in Philadelphia.

While rumors and discontent have been brewing ever since the Sixers' unceremonious ousting from the early rounds of the postseason this spring, a report on Tuesday is the most clear evidence yet that the Simmons era Philadelphia is over.

Simmons has no intention of playing a game for the Sixers again and will not report to training camp when it opens next week, sources in the league told ESPN. This is reportedly an unchanged position from the last time he spoke with Sixers officials in late August.

SEE ALSO: In Defense Of Ben Simmons: The Sixers Are Still Contenders

The three-time All Star, Rookie of the Year, and All-NBA performer has long been a controversial figure among fans and analysts because he is a nontraditional player: a 6 foot, 11 inch tall point guard who plays elite defense and averages close to a triple-double every night, but who can't shoot from the outside.

Unfortunately for Simmons, outside shooting is arguably the most visible part of the game to fans and analysts. Despite his accolades and the Sixers success, Simmons' shortcomings took center stage during the 2021 postseason when the upstart Atlanta Hawks took full advantage of his foul shooting troubles. By forcing Simmons to the line, they effectively neutralized him, and maybe even got in his head in the process, as he seemed off his game the entire series.

The very Philadelphia uproar aimed at Simmons in the wake of their playoff exit was preamble to a summer of discontent. Trade rumors have swirled ever since, but nothing has yet materialized. If Simmons is indeed traded, it would mean yet another offseason in which the Sixers radically altered their roster in an effort to build around superstar center Joel Embiid.

While the Sixers have not won the NBA championships under the Simmons-Embiid tandem which the Process promised, they have flourished, earning four consecutive playoff berths, a first overall seed in the 2021 playoffs, and hundreds of elite-level games from Simmons. In that way, there is no comparison with Wentz, another highly touted Philadelphia player whose relationship with both team and fanbase soured with time.

It could be argued that Simmons and Wentz (unlike, say, Embiid or Bryce Harper), never learned to crack the Philly code. Simmons and Wentz never said things like "You gotta be Broad Street bully," they didn't show up for the season opener wearing Phanatic socks, and they never so aggressively and emotionally took sole responsibility for their team's losses. It may not be logical or fair that ingratiating the 700 level is what it takes to thrive in this city, but it's an ever-simmering reality that the Sixers would be wise to consider in whatever package they might manage to land in return for Simmons.