How much money did Ben Simmons lose from the 76ers?
Ben Simmons has filed a grievance in a bid to recover nearly $20 million in salaries that the Philadelphia 76ers withheld due to missed games this season.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons is trying to recover the nearly $20 million he lost when his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, withheld his salary for games he missed earlier this season.
The grievance that he filed with the team “will now go to an arbitration process,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski,
Reporting with @RamonaShelburne and @BobbyMarks42: Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons has filed a grievance to challenge the nearly $20 million of salary withheld to him by the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Story soon on ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 2, 2022
NBPA throws support behind Simmons
The 25-year-old’s representatives had reportedly attempted to resolve the matter without going through arbitration by holding talks with the 76ers, but the two parties were not able to come to an agreement. The National Basketball Players Association is supporting the former NBA Rookie of the Year in the grievance, per Wojnarowski.
The complaint could have implications on the basketball league, as it brings to the fore the issue of mental health and its relationship to player contracts.
The arbitration process and its outcome could serve as a precedent in the way similar situations might be resolved in the future.
We all knew the Simmons grievance was coming. Now, teams, players and agents will watch very closely to see how this plays out. It's fascinating because if Simmons were to win the grievance, there's little recourse for teams if a player makes a trade demand and refuses to play.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) April 2, 2022
Simmons' refusal to play
Philadelphia had insisted that Simmons breached his contract when he failed to report for the beginning of training camp and for refusing to play during both the preseason and the regular season. As such, they said they were entitled to recover the money they had advanced him before the season began.
Simmons had earlier requested a trade, and cited the state of his mental health as the reason for not participating fully in activities with the Sixers.
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There was a disagreement between the two sides on how to diagnose the player’s mental health concerns.
The conflict, which began last summer, eventually caused Simmons to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden in February. The Australian has yet to see any hardcourt action with his new team due to problems with his back as he went through reconditioning training.
But he has resumed on-court work and is projected to finally be able to play for the first time this season sometime soon.