In an interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews, 76ers center Joel Embiid addressed the Ben Simmons saga and how he tried to get the disgruntled star to stay.
“I did a lot of chasing around trying to get him to come back and trying to make him feel comfortable again,” Embiid said. “It was time, I didn't care anymore.”
Simmons requested a trade from Philadelphia before the season started but the team refused to deal him away and instead hoped to repair the relationship. But there was no mending the fractured partnership. At one point, Simmons refused to take part in a drill when he finally showed up to practice, and coach Doc Rivers told him to go home.