Patrick Beverley isn’t buying the Ben Simmons reset in Sacramento.
The former Philadelphia 76ers guard went after Simmons this week, saying the Kings’ decision to sign him was a mistake and framing the move as another sign that the former All-Star walked away from the game when things got tough. Beverley also pointed to Victor Oladipo as the kind of player who has kept working to show he can still help an NBA team.
Simmons has long faced questions about his commitment, dating back to his Sixers years. His quiet personality, reluctance to shoot threes and general lack of visible offensive growth left plenty of people convinced he didn’t love the grind the way stars usually do. Beverley’s criticism landed especially hard because Simmons spent a season away from the game running with his pro fishing team, which Beverley viewed as quitting.
Simmons has consistently said the break was about getting healthy. He dealt with back and knee issues in Philadelphia, along with the foot injury that wiped out his season before what became his true rookie year. Those health concerns followed him to the Brooklyn Nets, and even during his brief time with the Los Angeles Clippers, Simmons said he didn’t feel physically like himself.
That’s why the next chapter matters. If Simmons really is trying to protect his body and extend his career, the time away could make sense once he gets on the floor for the Kings in the fall.
Still, Beverley isn’t wrong about one part of the story: Simmons did shut it down on the 76ers after that rough second-round series in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, and he was not going to play for Philadelphia in 2021-2022 even when healthy. But there’s a difference between walking away from a team and stepping back to recover. A fresh start, and a slower ramp-up, may be the better path now than jumping into a situation like the New York Knicks, where he might have been on a short leash and cut loose before a championship push ever got rolling.
In Other News...
Ben Simmons Still Forces A Painful 76ers What-If
Ben Simmons remains one of the most complicated figures in recent 76ers history, a player whose gift and frustration were often wrapped together. During his time in Philadelphia, he piled up the kind of accolades that usually anchor a franchise story, earning multiple All-Star nods, All-Defense recognition and an All-NBA selection after winning Rookie of the Year and flashing star-level production early in his career.
And yet the memory that hangs over him in Philadelphia is not the upside, but the collapse of it. The end came in a turbulent stretch that still shapes how the Sixers are discussed, because Simmons was never just another talented player who moved on. He became a painful what-if, a reminder of how quickly a promising era can tilt when one critical moment changes everything. [Read more 🡒]
Former Sixers Big Man Suddenly Tied To Another Knicks Move
The Knicks search for size has taken another familiar turn for Sixers fans, with former Philadelphia center Tony Bradley now surfacing as a possible addition in New York. Bradley, who split last season between the Pacers and Hawks, also saw the Knicks up close in playoff action, giving New York another look at a big man it has had on the radar before.
His name popping up now is notable because it comes on the heels of a backup center swap between the Knicks and the Sixers involving Andre Drummond. New York has clearly been busy reshaping its depth behind the starters, and Bradleys connection to both clubs adds another layer to a transaction path that already links the two East rivals in an unusual way. [Read more 🡒]
76ers Face More Pressure To Solve Their Joel Embiid Backup Problem
The market for backup centers was already thin, and the 76ers had been watching it closely as they looked for help behind Joel Embiid. Philadelphias need is obvious enough, with the team carrying limited depth at the position and knowing how quickly the middle of a season can expose that weakness.
Now another suitor has entered the picture, and that can make a tough search even harder. Phoenixs center situation has pushed the Suns toward the same kind of depth the 76ers are after, which means Philadelphia may have to navigate a little more competition from another team with a similar problem and a similar urgency to fix it. [Read more 🡒]