Embiid discusses Simmons: 'Winning wasn't the biggest factor' for him
After being asked almost daily about the future of former Philadelphia 76ers teammate Ben Simmons since the start of training camp, Joel Embiid is ready to move on.
"I’m happy that I’m not going to be answering any more questions on that subject,” Embiid told reporters following Friday's 100-87 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to PhillyVoice's Kyle Neubeck.
With Simmons headlining a package of players and picks for the Brooklyn Nets' James Harden ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, a months-long standoff between last year's runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year and the franchise that selected him first overall out of LSU in 2016 finally reached its conclusion.
Now, Simmons, 25, has received his fresh start. And the 27-year-old Embiid, putting up a second straight MVP-worthy season as the center of the 33-22 76ers, finally has some much-needed assistance in the team's quest for their first title since 1983.
In all, Embiid and Simmons reached the playoffs in every season they paired together. The 76ers have made the second round three times in four years and came within a few unlucky bounces from possibly advancing to the Eastern Conference finals in 2019.
Embiid believes the differences in what they value ultimately ended their partnership.
"Look at the history, being on the court, what we did - we were dominant," the Cameroonian said, per the Bucks County Courier Times' Tom Moore. "So it's unfortunate that winning was not the biggest factor. It's unfortunate that, for him having his own team and I guess being a star was more of his priorities.
"But I've always thought that everything was great. The fit was great, but unfortunately, Ben thought it wasn't. But we all move on."