Ben Simmons' agent accuses Philadelphia 76ers of worsening his mental health: Report

The standoff story between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers seems to be taking new twists and turns every passing day. In the latest update, the Philadelphia 76ers have been accused of contributing to Ben Simmons mental health issue which the player has been dealing with post his return to the 76ers team.

The standoff saga has been going through the preseason with the player making his intentions clear of leaving Philadelphia 76ers despite having four years and $200 million remaining on his ongoing contract.

Philadelphia 76ers targetted for Ben Simmons' mental health issue 

Australian media outlet news.com.au, citing The Athletic, reported that Ben Simmons' agent believes the recent actions by the Philadelphia 76ers are an attempt to force him to play, which has worsened his mental health issues. Simmons' agent and Klutch Sports chief executive Rich Paul, while speaking to The Athletic said, “I truly believe the fines, the targeting, the negative publicity shined on the issue — that’s very unnecessary and has furthered the mental health issues for Ben. Either you help Ben, or come out and say he’s lying. Which one is it?” Officials of the Philadelphia 76ers have, however, denied the accusation and claimed to be fully supporting the player.  

Earlier the Philadelphia 76ers had kicked out Simmons from practice following his arrival and also gave him a suspension and fine. The 25-year-old later admitted to having been suffering from mental health issues, following which the Philadelphia 76ers decided to not only offer him help but also reinstate his salary. However, the situation changed again with Ben Simmons being reportedly fined $487,000 for missing last week’s game against the Detroit Pistons.

Ben Simmons visits specialist recommended by Philadelphia 76ers

While the Philadelphia 76ers have been accused of causing trouble to Ben Simmons' mental health issue, the player recently visited the medical specialist recommended by the team. Earlier Ben Simmons was working with mental health professionals via the National Basketball Players Association (NBA) since summer but did not provide details of those meetings to the team.  

Apart from reports related to his mental health, there was news about the Boston Celtics enquiring for Simmons trade with Jaylen Brown as part of the deal. Apart from the Celtics, other teams like Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazer, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors are chasing the Sixers star.