Anyone who has ever tried to negotiate a contract with their employer will probably attest to the fact that doing so can be a tricky affair. In the modern world, we human beings have what is referred to as a market value and all types of shit. And it is pretty much inevitable as an employee no matter how much or how little money you make, someone is constantly in your ear telling you you're worth, i.e. that you're being underpaid.
So as far as contract negotiations go, what they ultimately boil down to is how valuable a worker is to his employer. Sometimes, these types of communications can degenerate into a debate centered on which party would be most adversely affected if the contract is voided or doesn't come to be. So on the employer's side, it's something like 'we can just fine without you.' But as for us employees, it's more like 'you'll realize how much I'm worth when I'm not around'. But logically speaking, employers have the advantage. And that's because they're usually deeper as well as richer, whereas an employee may face more of an uncertain future if he decides to venture out on his own. And at the end of the day, no one really likes financial unpredictability, a reality that often compels us to stay in less-than-ideal employment situations, even if we are in fact underpaid.
But sometimes too, an employee may put their foot down and discover that 'oh shit, maybe I'm not as hot as I thought'. Let's take Dennis Schröder for instance. Last season he did pretty well in Los Angeles, averaging 15 points and 6 assists as a starter. He also had his moments, as perhaps to be expected an above-average player on the Lakers. But that said, Dennis didn't really prove to be as ideal a fit alongside Lebron and AD as envisioned. But still, the Lakers offered him a whopping $84mil/4year contract extension, I would presume pretty much solely in the name of continuity.
But then, there was that person in his ear who was like 'nah Dennis, you're worth more than that'. Perhaps that individual was even Dennis himself. So this dude who didn't even average 20ppg turned down a contract paying $20mil+ annually. And to make a long story short, he ended up signing with the Celtics at a rate of $6mil for 1year, thus for now forsaking $78mil and 3 years of job security.
When players dumb out like that, the next step is usually to play one year and in that single season prove that they're worth more than the contract that was turned down. Meanwhile, it's virtually impossible that Dennis Schroder is going to accomplish that goal with the Celtics, not only because he's playing with the likes of Jayson Tatum but also considering the fact that it was arguable he wasn't even worth that much in the first place. Perhaps a few years back, okay. But now it's like he's been exposed.
And that brings us to Ben Simmons. Despite unanimously being considered one of the best current defenders in the NBA, about a few years back the league more or less lost respect for any player, especially one that prefers to play guard, that doesn't have a jump shot, such as Simmons. This really started back around the Michael Carter-Williams' era - who by the way was also a draft pick of the Sixers - but really came home once Steph and them started winning championships by launching up 3s. I don't necessarily agree with that philosophy, depending on the makeup of a team's roster. But most people do which would explain why, once Simmons got around to requesting a trade, it's like behold, no one really wants him, at least not to the point of offering a superstar package in return.
So now, it's like my hope and expectation was that he and the Sixers would reconcile. But with us living in the era of cancel culture and all, well, it's like the longer he takes to actually suit up, the less sympathetic Philly fans are becoming. In other words it's like the longer he waits to play, the more difficult it becomes for him to do so, at least in a 76ers uniform.
So there's only so many ways this can play out. Ben can hit the court as soon as possible, endure the boos and perhaps, like you know how they say about adversity building character? Perhaps this fiasco will prove to be what the Sixers needed to reach the championship level. That would be some movie-type shit.
Or around the trade deadline, some underachieving team may put together a package the Sixers will accept, as there's no use having a player you're paying gazillions of dollars to riding the bench. In this case, it's not likely that Simmons will play for a contender. And that's because no team that is actually contending would be stupid enough to gut their roster to get him.
Or maybe Simmons will end up sitting out the entire season, which is sort of a worst-case scenario, at least are far as the fans and I would say Philly is also concerned. Or maybe - and I guess this is the wildest theory - he ends up getting waived or something. And the reason I say that is because if he plays, the Sixers are contenders. But if not and he proves to be untradeable, then his value to the team actually becomes negative.
CONCLUSION
I guess another possibility is that Ben is traded and proves so invigorated by all of the drama (and rest) that he leads some mediocre team, like the Kings, into contention. But somewhere along the line, considering that the world views him as some sort of a quitter, he's going to have to face the music or retire from the NBA. That is to say that even if he is traded, there's a possibility that the fans of the team he goes to will be less than receptive. Also he can expect to be taunted in just about any arena they visit, if the situation calls for it. That would perhaps be true if he stayed with the Sixers also, on top of being booed at home. But at least then it's sorta like the organization has his back or whatever. I don't really know. Either way it doesn't look like things are going to go as Simmons truly prefers, unless it was his goal all along to sit out the start of the season and relax.
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