Sixers: 5 possible outcomes for Ben Simmons’ return

Possible outcomes for Ben Simmons’ return to Sixers: Sandbagging

In this scenario, Simmons will show up to practice and to games. He will play for the Sixers. He will start for the Sixers. And he will intentionally look awful for the Sixers. This is the path James Harden took in Houston. While Simmons probably won’t arrive to practice out of shape, he can just as easily play at half-speed until Philadelphia decides to trade him. This is, in my opinion, the most effective route to forcing a trade.

If Simmons wants to make life truly unbearable in Philadelphia, he can further upset the fanbase and his teammates. If Joel Embiid and the Sixers’ core leaders were to rebuke Simmons because he simply refuses to help the team win while on the floor, then Morey would have very little choice but to take the best package available or revert to option one, and let Simmons sit out.

This is clearly the option that would cast Simmons firmly as the “bad guy,” not only in Philadelphia, but nationwide. With four years left on his contract and recent failures on his resumé, showing up while not actually showing up would certainly harm Simmons’ reputation — to the point where it might actually make some teams more reluctant to trade for him. Simmons is not James Harden, and does not carry the same reverence in front offices around the league. Teams who would happily take a risk on Harden may not take the same risk on Simmons.

Even so, Simmons has already been cast as the villain in Philadelphia and across many media platforms already. The counterargument is simple: teams know he wants out and that he will gladly reengage upon arriving at his new home. This is an outcome the Sixers’ management should be weary of.