A new update from PhillyVoice.com's Kyle Neubeck on the Ben Simmons situation with the Philadelphia 76ers has been published.
The main issue at play here it appears to be Simmons' relationship with head coach Doc Rivers.
"It almost goes without saying that bridge-building would need to be done between Simmons and Doc Rivers," Neubeck writes. "The head coach tried to walk back the despair he showed after Game 7 during exit interviews the very next day, and his defenses of Simmons far outnumber his one high-profile shoulder shrug. Even still, getting the two to connect during the offseason has been close to impossible, sources say. Ultimately, this is in Simmons' hands. Rivers would tell you himself that he regrets letting his guard down during Simmons' lowest moment as a professional. Some missteps are just harder to come back from than others."
Rivers, after the team's Game 7 loss to the Hawks, said he was unsure if Simmons can be a point guard on a championship team.
Simmons, 25, has been dealing with trade rumors all offseason following his discouraging performance in the final four games of the Sixers' second-round exit to the Atlanta Hawks. Specifically, Simmons was terrible from the free-throw and became unwilling to even attempt to score late in games.
On Monday, NBCSportsPhiladelphia's John Clark reported that Simmons is not expected to show up for Sixers camp next week.
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And today, WKYC reporter Evan Dammarell tweeted that the Rockets are "seriously interested" in Simmons for a deal that would include John Wall.
Simmons, 25, is under contract through the 2024-25 season, where his base salary ranges from $33 million this season to $40.3 million in the final season of the deal.
You can read Neubeck's full article here.