UNDATED (AP) — A person with direct knowledge of Ben Simmons’ plans tells The Associated Press the All-Star guard won’t report to training camp next week. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because discussions of Simmons’ plans with the franchise have been private.
The 25-year-old guard from Australia was the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft. He is a three-time All-Star and had been paired with Joel Embiid as the franchise cornerstones as the Sixers chase their first NBA championship since 1983. But Simmons took the brunt of the blame for the top-seeded Sixers’ second-round exit in last season’s playoffs.
In other NBA news:
— Following suggestions from the league’s competition committee, the NBA has spent time this offseason teaching its referees how to handle it when offensive players are making non-basketball moves with hopes of drawing contact from defenders. Going forward, such plays will merit either a no-call or an offensive foul. In the past, those have often wound up sending offensive players to the foul line.
