Barkley knows Philadelphia. He played for the Sixers for eight seasons before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in the summer of 1992. Simmons had an easy out to get back in the good graces of Philadelphia fans, Barkley said, but he blew it.
“If he came out sometime and said, ‘I apologize for not playing better, the criticisms are fair and I’m going to do everything in my power to be a great basketball player,’ I think Philadelphia would have forgiven him,” Barkley said.
“I don’t know why Ben got mad at that sh–, to be honest with you. Listen, I’m not one of those old guys who feel like I didn’t make any money and I hate on these young guys making all this money. But I thought if you’re making $40 million a year (Simmons actually signed a five-year, $170 million contract extension in 2019) and people are telling you to get better in basketball, you should get better in basketball.”
Barkley believes that if Simmons had showed up for training camp willing to work on his shortcomings his relationship with the Sixers could have been mended. But when Simmons, Barkley said, “half-asses it in practice and they have to kick him out, I thought that was the point of no r**eturn.”
“I tell people, ‘You act as if it’s going to be easy to trade this guy,’” Barkley said. “If you make that trade as a GM, and he does not get better and won’t shoot the ball, you deserve to be fired.”
Simmons’ huge contract also ties Philadelphia’s hands. It’s one thing to trade an unhappy player for cents on the dollar if he’s making a few million a year. But the Sixers have deeply invested in Simmons; he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2016 and supposed to be the Omega to Embiid’s Alpha as Philadelphia chased a championship.
As Sixers president Daryl Morey has repeatedly said, he’s not going to give Simmons away just to rid himself of a headache.
“I use the analogy talking to my friends that if a lot of guys could get divorced and it would cost them five to seven to 10 million dollars they’re going to get divorced,” Barkley said. “But if it’s going to cost you $200 million you’re going to stay married.”
“James Harden took the money and said f— you and gave Houston the middle finger,” Barkley said. “Now you got Ben Simmons who they owe $150 million, and he said, f— you, I’m not playing there.
“It’s screwed up. Going forward, you’re going to have to give a guy $150 million or $200 million and if he’s ever unhappy, you’re at his mercy. I don’t think that’s good for our league.”
That’s why Barkley is convinced the owners will want substantial changes to the CBA when it expires.
“The owners are not going to take this s— lying down,” Barkley said. “I think the next collective bargaining agreement is going to be very contentious. There’s no doubt in my mind we’re going to have a strike or a lockout.”
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