Kevin Durant thinks Ben Simmons earns enough money through his contract with Philly, to handle the boos from Sixers fans.
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The most hostile fans in the entire NBA are ready for March 10th, when the Brooklyn Nets visit Philadelphia. It will be the first time their All-Star point guard returns to Wells Fargo Center after his trade last month.
That trade didn’t come easy for anyone. One of the most frustrating trade sagas started after a rather early exit from last year’s Playoffs when Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers quite openly blamed Ben Simmons for the loss against the Atlanta Hawks in Game-7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Come offseason the 25-year-old decided that he’d force his way out of Philadelphia. As that couldn’t be arranged by Philly due to lack of trade value they were offered in exchange for the 3x All-Star. As the season started Ben cited mental health issues for not taking the court for the team.
That lasted until the midseason trade deadline when the longtime Daryl Morey target James Harden came up as an option for the trade. But those five months were enough for people in Philadelphia to hate their former beloved point guard to the court. And they await his return to shower him with boos.
“Ben Simmons makes $40 million a year, he can handle boos for a couple of hours”: Kevin Durant
When was the last time Slim Reaper held himself back in front of the press or social media? That day has still to come. The Nets MVP believes his new teammate should shrug off all the noise he will hear on his first trip back to his former home.
Kevin Durant on Ben Simmons in front of Philly fans on Thursday: “The guy’s making $40 million a year. You can take that for a couple hours. I’m sure Ben has that approach.”
— Kristian Winfield #NFTAllStar (@Krisplashed) March 9, 2022
Classic KD! By saying that he is most certainly not pointing out that the 6’11 point guard is overpaid but just that he should be having the patience to entertain the repercussions that come along with that kind of money and fame.
And also might be hinting that Simmons shouldn’t be thinking of skipping his courtside presence in Philly even if he doesn’t play. Even Steve Nash wouldn’t want him to do exactly what he did during his revolt.
Also, Durant has faced an upset crowd a lot in his career. When the 2x Finals MVP joined Golden State in 2016, who were his and OKC Thunder’s most fierce rivals at the time, the crowd booed him every time he visited Oklahoma.
Even now they have not totally forgotten his deed. So he knows what he is talking about while suggesting Ben face the hostile Philly crowd.