While Joel Embiid spoke at length during Monday's media day ultimately saying he wants Ben Simmons back with the team, the feeling is apparently not mutual.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Simmons is "done playing with Embiid." He says he feels that playing alongside a big man like Embiid clogging the lane is not conducive to his own style.
"People who have intimate knowledge of how he sees this situation continue to insist that he’s done playing with Embiid," Amick wrote. "There’s nothing personal about this choice, it seems, but the 25-year-old Simmons has clearly decided that his career is better off without Embiid blocking the runways in the paint that he so badly needs to succeed."
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Simmons continues his hold out from the Sixers, as training camp is set to begin Tuesday at the team's practice facility in Camden, New Jersey.
Embiid admitted he is disappointed on Monday while answering questions about Simmons' absence.
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"Honestly, I would probably say I'm disappointed," Embiid said when asked what he would say to Simmons if he could speak to him. "Obviously, we haven't won anything. Based on your sources and stuff, I would look at it the way that, I mean look at what we've been able to do. I've got to be better, everybody has to be better. But in the regular season we've been so good and so dominant that we know it's working. So I think it's all about taking the next step and everybody playing up to their potential."
Sixers president Daryl Morey said the team is still optimistic that Simmons will return to the team. He says this sort of situation is common in sports, using Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as an example.
"I think there's a lot of hope. Look, every situation is different, but we have a lot of optimism we can make it work here," Morey said.
"Ben is a great player. We expect him back, and we expect him to be a 76er."