Former Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has definitely had it tough this offseason. After splitting time last season with two ball clubs, his production and role drastically waned, culminating in him not even being able to find a new home for the upcoming NBA season.
With training camp slated to start in a couple of weeks or so, Simmons’ NBA career suddenly hangs in the balance. Erstwhile, he was even rumored to be contemplating retirement — a stunning development for a player who was once compared to the likes of LeBron James and Magic Johnson, earning three All-Star appearances early in his career.
Since his fallout with the 76ers, Simmons has taken a deep nosedive. And to make matters worse, his back injuries never really stopped bothering him, further flaring up his confidence that was already shaken by the time he was on his holdout phase in Philly.
This summer, Simmons reportedly received some offers from teams, but those have obviously not materialized into actual contracts. As such, the former 76ers star is now most likely going to have to sit out the upcoming season, at least to kick things off. And to that effect, he just received a cementing confirmation.
Former 76ers star Ben Simmons officially gets tossed to the side after Knicks signed Landry Shamet
The New York Knicks were one of the very few teams to have expressed interest in adding Simmons, even extending him an offer to return to the Big Apple. However, Simmons himself rejected that offer, resulting in his agent making a drastic choice to drop him as a principal.
And to make things official, the Knicks went ahead and signed Landry Shamet to a one-year deal. New York was previously rumored to be picking between Simmons and Shamet, but with their front office receiving the cold shoulder from Simmons, they seem to have finally settled with the sharpshooter.
Thanks to this development, 76ers fans will probably not see Simmons suit up this season to cheer (jeer) for him, which objectively sucks as a basketball fan. He still has something left in the tank, and he can definitely be a functional role player at the very least.
The reality, however, is that Ben Simmons had control over his fate this summer, and by jettisoning an opportunity presented to him, he must deal with the consequences until he gets another offer lodged before him moving forward.