Ben Simmons Reportedly Left Nets Group Chat After Being Asked To Play Game 4 Vs. Celtics

Things appear to be an absolute dumpster fire for the Brooklyn Nets right now.

After all the off-court controversy surrounding Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving last season, Kevin Durant made his trade wishes known earlier in the offseason.

Even though talks surrounding a KD trade had died down, he re-ignited the flame after it was reported today that he had once again told Nets owner Joe Tsai that he would like to be moved prior to the NBA season.

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In a meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai, Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that Tsai needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash, sources say.

Story: https://t.co/W1voNf9MDC

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2022

As if that wasn’t enough for Nets fans to handle in one day, now some more dirt on Ben Simmons is coming out.

During an appearance on “The Herd” today, NBA insider Ric Bucher claimed that Simmons left a Nets group text altogether after being asked to suit up for the team in Game 4 of the Celtics series.

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Following a Game 3 loss vs Boston, the Nets players asked Ben Simmons in a group chat if he was ready to play in Game 4. Ben Simmons did not answer the question and proceeded to leave the chat, per @RicBucher on @TheHerd.

"KD was like 'This is who I'm playing with?!" 🍿 pic.twitter.com/c5gGH7zUT1

— Unbiased NBA Fan (@nonbiasednbafan) August 7, 2022

Ric Bucher would go on to say that the entire Ben Simmons situation rubbed Kevin Durant the wrong way.

Not only did Durant have to deal with Kyrie Irving and his unvaccinated status. But when Brooklyn acquired Simmons from the 76ers last season, it seemed like the Nets were under the impression that he was actually going to play for them.

Unfortunately, Simmons continued to cite mental health and back issues when continuously explaining to the Nets that he wasn’t prepared to get back on the floor.

It’s hard to imagine Ben Simmons would have provided much of an impact after the Nets were already down bad in their series against the Celtics. But still, leaving a group text with superstar teammates is never a good idea.

Who can really blame Kevin Durant for wanting the hell out of Brooklyn?

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