Ben Simmons Loses Over $300k for Missing Preseason Opener vs. Raptors

Ben Simmons told the Sixers back in June that he wanted to be traded. Although Daryl Morey and Philly's front office fielded offers, no team was willing to meet
Ben Simmons Loses Over $300k for Missing Preseason Opener vs. Raptors
Ben Simmons Loses Over $300k for Missing Preseason Opener vs. Raptors /

Ben Simmons told the Sixers back in June that he wanted to be traded. Although Daryl Morey and Philly's front office fielded offers, no team was willing to meet the Sixers' asking price. When Simmons realized trade talks stalled in August, he told the 76ers he had no intentions of showing up for work when training camp approaches.

Last Monday, the Sixers welcomed the media into their practice facility for media day. As expected, Simmons was a no-show. When training camp started on Tuesday, he was still absent. Five training camp sessions came and went, and Ben Simmons remains out in Los Angeles, staying true to his strategy of holding out.

As he remains committed to not showing up, Simmons was not issued 25-percent of his 2021-2022 salary, which was due on October 1. Although rumors hinted he might show face in Philly after failing to receive over $8 million in salary, Simmons still hasn't reported to the 76ers.

Therefore, the personal losses kept coming in and continued on Monday night as the Sixers had their preseason debut against the Toronto Raptors on the road.

As Simmons' $8.25 million has been placed in an escrow account, he'll see money deducted every time he misses a game.

Since Simmons was expectedly ruled out for the preseason opener as he wasn't with the team due to his holdout, he lost another $300-plus million, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN

Per Marks' report, Simmons will lose $360,304 for every game missed starting with the Monday night matchup against Toronto, and the money is not refundable. 

"This is not money Simmons can get back in the event Philadelphia eventually accedes to his wish to be traded," Marks wrote. "The team that chooses to trade for him cannot agree to pay Simmons the money he is owed in fines from Philadelphia. Instead, Simmons would only be able to get some, or all, of the fine money back by coming to a settlement with the 76ers, who would have no incentive to do so."

As the staredown between the Sixers and Simmons continues, the 25-year-old All-Star continues to see his money disappear as the fines won't stop until he reports to the team for the 2021-2022 season. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA