Joel Embiid Sounds Fed Up With Ben Simmons

As the Ben Simmons trade saga marches on, we the public will continually receive bits of knowledge leaked by both sides to try to garner good faith in the pursuit of positive public perception. The latest tidbit came from Sam Amick at The Athletic, who reported Simmons feels his on-court partnership with Joel Embiid has run its course and there's no way they can get better together.

Embiid was asked about that by reporters today and gave his honest thought that the Sixers have always built around Simmons, trying to make life easier for his difficult skillset. He gave several specific examples and reiterated his opinion that getting rid of Jimmy Butler after the 2018-19 season was a mistake, among other straightforward points.

Here's a full transcription of his comments.

While Embiid remembered to slip in the company line about wanting Simmons back, it sure seems like he's sick of this whole saga. And it's hard to blame him. The Sixers outwardly claim that the All-NBA defender hasn't given them a specific reason for wanting a trade. He wouldn't meet with Embiid to discuss what was wrong. Then Embiid has to deal with the fallout of the leaks from his camp.

This is only the beginning, too. As long as Simmons is fine with the damage to his bank account, he will continue on this path. Philly isn't going to trade him for nothing. If they wanted to just be rid of him and wash themselves clean of the debacle, they presumably would have done so.

Hopefully this means more of Embiid's honest thoughts. It's great content.