While Nets fans impatiently wait for Ben Simmons to finally make his season and team debut, the point guard has reportedly filed a grievance against his former team in an attempt to recoup his salary for games lost this season.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Simmons is challenging the nearly $20 million that was withheld by Philadelphia as a result of him not taking the floor at all this season. The grievance was shared with the NBA and NBA Players Association this week, and will go into an arbitration process.
Per Wojnarowski, the NBPA is supporting Simmons in his quest to reclaim that salary.
The Sixers began fining Simmons for each game he missed, roughly $360,000, but paused after Simmons began cooperating with the team about addressing his mental health concerns that were preventing him from taking the court. But Simmons then reportedly refused to accept consultations provided by the team, and the fines resumed in November, after his previous fines had been released from the team’s escrow account. He had incurred roughly $2 million in fines for holding out of training camp and games missed earlier in the season before he told the team about his mental health concerns.
Simmons was traded to the Nets just before the deadline in a package that involved James Harden. He still hasn’t played for Brooklyn due to a flare-up in his back issues.
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