Sixers

Time to Bring Back the Ben Simmons Fine Calculator

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Nov 5th, 2021 · 12:47 PM EDT

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From Woj:

ESPN Sources: The 76ers fined Ben Simmons his $360K game salary for missing Thursday’s game and plan to resume fining him until he cooperates with team physicians on his mental health issues and fulfills other basketball-related obligations. Story: https://t.co/U4RyCJwKp5

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 5, 2021

We had ended our Ben Simmons fine calculator posts with Ben having lost somewhere around $2 million. That began back on September 27th, with a missed media day and then the first week of training camp, plus the four preseason games and then the home opener, which followed him being kicked out of practice. The Sixers stopped fining him when the mental health thing came up, but that’s been axed now, since Ben allegedly won’t cooperate.

Writes Woj:

The Sixers will again place Simmons’ future salary into an escrow account, sources said. Earlier this season, the Sixers released Simmons’ money from escrow after he had been initially cooperative on a path toward returning to play.

Sixers officials believe they have been supportive of Simmons’ stated need for mental health assistance and are left no choice but for these actions in response to the three-time All-Star’s refusal to provide basic details of his course of mental health meetings, evaluation or treatments or to accept consultation with any specialists arranged by the team, sources said. Simmons has worked with mental health professionals via the National Basketball Players Association.

We’re just biding our time here until a trade materializes. Gotta let the season play out a bit, evaluate the landscape, and then make the best move from there. Obviously the Sixers are winning without him and don’t need his services.