76ers withhold $8.25 million owed to Ben Simmons amid holdout

Back on Sept. 8, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst reported that Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons, who has vowed to remain away from the team to force a trade either before or during the upcoming season, has a contract "structured in a way that he's going to get half of his money by Oct. 1—$16.5 million of his $33 million comes before he has to worry about getting fined a single dime, 41 of his games. So he's going to have a war chest and he can just sit this out." This suggested Simmons could sit through at least half of the campaign. 

The 76ers apparently called Simmons' bluff. 

ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Windhorst report Philadelphia did not pay Simmons $8.25 million owed to him at the start of the month and instead placed that money into an escrow account. All fines Simmons earns moving forward will be drained from that account, but the 25-year-old could receive whatever is left if he chooses to return to the organization.

Additionally, the Sixers intend to fine Simmons approximately $227,000 for every game he is absent, starting with Monday's preseason contest against the Toronto Raptors. 

Windhorst called this latest action "a declaration of war" from the 76ers but explained Simmons and the player's camp were prepared for it and that Philadelphia's latest move won't change Simmons' mind.