Nets forward Ben Simmons made questionable teammate move last season

Even on a new team, Ben Simmons' reliability is still questioned.

During a recent appearance on FS1’s “The Herd,” longtime NBA reporter Ric Bucher claimed that Simmons pulled a bad teammate move on the Brooklyn Nets in the middle of the playoffs last season. Bucher said that Simmons left the Nets players’ text message group chat when asked if he would be playing in Brooklyn’s elimination game against the Boston Celtics in the first round.

“They’re having a team chat before Game 4, thinking [Simmons is] going to play against the Boston Celtics,” said Bucher. “From what I’m told, Ben just left the chat. They asked him, ‘Are you going to play?’ Ben left the chat. Like, he didn’t even answer the question, just left the chat. And [Kevin Durant] is like, ‘This is what I signed up for? This is who I’m playing with?’”

The three-time All-Star Simmons, who was acquired by the Nets around last February's trade deadline, had some speculation around him making his season debut for Brooklyn in the Game 4 against Boston--with Brooklyn trailing the series 3-0. But on the morning of the contest, Simmons told the team that he awoke with back soreness and would be unable to play. That led to consensus condemnation of Simmons and fueled questions about his drive and mentality. The Nets went on to lose the game and be eliminated.

With nearly $114 million remaining on his contract over the next three years, Simmons is beyond a negative asset at this point, especially with anecdotes like the one Bucher shared. But the good news is that at least some Nets teammates still have faith and support the 26-year-old forward.