The Agent Of Ben Simmons Reached His Breaking Point And Reportedly Dropped Him As A Client Because Simmons Showed Zero Interest In Signing With The Knicks

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Just a few days ago, there were reports/rumors around the idea that Ben Simmons could opt to retire from the NBA altogether instead of signing with a team on a minimum or "prove it" deal. 

A bit of a surprise on the surface, but also not a crazy idea since his market didn't appear to be all that great and he's made over $200M in basketball money alone by age 29. There are certainly worse positions to be in when you look at the bigger picture of life.

In the days following those reports, we're starting to get the details around Simmons' situation, and you start to understand a little more why retirement was potentially on the table.

“Simmons’ agent, Bernie Lee, recently dropped him as a client, according to Stein. A source said that decision occurred after the point guard sent signals that he wasn’t interested in whatever came from his agent’s conversations with the Knicks.”

The Knicks were one of the rumored teams that were entertaining the idea of getting into the Ben Simmons business, but given their cap situation, all they could really offer was the minimum. I can only imagine how frustrating this entire situation would be for Simmons' agent, considering it had to be tough as hell to get even one team to bite on potentially signing his client. Then, not only do you find a team willing to do it, but it's a team many think can contend to win the Eastern Conference. A team that basically needs to make the Finals this year, or it's a gigantic underachievement given how wide open the East is this year.

One would think that exact type of team/situation is what Simmons should be willing to join. You know how you rehab your image and market in the league? Produce and be effective for a good team! Show you can deliver in high-leverage situations for a team playing games that matter. So what if it's for the minimum? You've made hundreds of millions of dollars! Not only that, but if you play well, guess what happens? You'll get a new and better deal next offseason!

So, the fact that Simmons thumbed his nose up at whatever contract the Knicks were planning on offering, it's no surprise his agent "fired" him. Talk about being ungrateful. Is the problem that the Knicks are in NYC and Simmons doesn't want to deal with that market/press/pressure again? Given everything that happened with the Nets, I suppose I could understand that, but at the same time, it's still an NBA job with a contending team that could very well rehab Simmons' standing in the league.

What's the saying? You can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink? That's how I view this whole thing. You can bring Simmons all the offers the market may have for him, but you can't force him to take them. My assumption is it requires you to move mountains just to get a team to offer that much, so it does feel like retirement is the more likely solution at this point. I highly doubt a better team than the Knicks will come calling, and certainly nobody is offering more than the minimum, so if that option isn't good enough for Simmons, it looks like nothing will be.