Joel Embiid Gets Brutally Honest About Ex-teammates Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler Leaving 76ers on a Sour Note

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were teammates in the Sixers for more than five years. One would imagine that the two would’ve forged a solid bond and chemistry by then. However, the sad reality was that the two never saw eye-to-eye, and they never developed any sort of friendship off the court. It did not stem from anything personal, they just didn’t click. Then it all came to an end in 2022 when Simmons was traded to the Nets and his exit was messy.

In Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals, Philly fell to the Hawks. Embiid and the Sixers’ coach Doc Rivers both made remarks about Simmons’ subpar play in the game as he was struggling offensively. In the end, he demanded a trade and was finally granted his wish. Jimmy Butler also had a similar ugly exit from the Sixers in 2019 and Embiid gets honest about the two stars walking out.

Ben Simmons was the one that got away

Sitting down with Tyrese Maxey in his Maxey on the Mic podcast, Embiid had nothing but good things to say about his former teammate. Back then, Simmons had a bad rep for falling short on his jumpers, but Embiid admits that he always knew Simmons was a good player, a “monster“, and that he didn’t think he had to resort to jumpers.

He even compares Simmons with Tyrese on how fast he is. “I simply thought that everything would have changed if he had been able to increase his free throw percentage to between 75 and 80 percent,” the reigning MVP says. In the end, he is regretful for the way things ended for Simmons, and he adds, “I think that’s the one that got away.” Meanwhile, on the Butler situation, Embiid stresses how the Sixers could’ve taken a different approach.

Joel Embiid thinks the Sixers fumbled with Butler

Jimmy Butler spent a season in Philly, and he was gone just as soon as he came. During his short stint with the Sixers, he was dissatisfied with the management and team chemistry. Despite this, he had a good relationship with big man Embiid, who attests to this day that it was a mistake to let go of Butler.

Read More- Jimmy Butler Reveals Real Reason Behind His Departure From 76ers

The 29-year-old shared, “If you ask me, the Butler one is the mistake I focus the most on because I think their process —call back! — was so flawed”. Embiid believes that the Sixers should have offered a maximum contract to Butler instead of letting him walk. The thing that annoys him the most is that Butler was just entering his prime, and he had so much more to offer. And he did exactly that in Miami as he led the team to the playoffs the following season and then to the 2020 finals.

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