Nearly two months after being traded by the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons filed a grievance claiming $20 million in salary withheld from the Pennsylvania club.
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At least that’s what ESPN reported on Saturday. The process, which has received the support of the Players Association, should go to arbitration.
Targeted by criticism from head coach Doc Rivers and teammate Joel Embiid after the team was eliminated in the second round last year, Simmons requested a trade and missed training camp. A conflict in training with Rivers afterwards soured the relationship between the player and the team.
Simmons was fined for every practice session and every missed game thereafter until he was finally involved in the trade involving James Harden that sent him to the Brooklyn Nets in February. However, he had in the meantime indicated that his absence was linked to mental health problems.
Simmons still hasn’t played this season due to a herniated disc. In career, he averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists. The 25-year-old athlete has been invited to the All-Star Game for the past three campaigns.
