Australian basketball great Shane Heal says he can understand why Ben Simmons has “sooked it up” but questions whether Simmons can be the franchise player he was drafted as amid an escalating stand-off with the Philadelphia 76ers.

As tensions rise, the Sixers have put 25 per cent of money owed to Simmons per his contract - $US8.25 million ($11.4 million) - into an escrow account in response to his holdout, multiple media outlets reported Friday (US time). The Australian’s contract calls for him receiving two payments of $8.25 million before the season gets underway. He received the first payment August 2.

The Sixers say they will deduct any fines Simmons racks up from the account. He has not reported the team for training camp and has requested a trade.

Simmons fell out with the franchise, including coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers and franchise forward Joel Embiid, after last season’s losing eastern conference semi-final play-off series against Atlanta. While he may be a defensive ace, Simmons’ reluctance to shoot the ball - he passed on a wide-open dunk late in game seven - sparked fierce public criticism.

Heal, a four-time Olympian who also played in the NBA, said he could understand the arguments made by the Sixers and Simmons but said the current stance was not helping either party.

“When Ben shoots 33 per cent from the free-throw line [against the Hawks] and you have got a superstar that wasn’t really having an impact at the offensive end and looked like he was afraid to be able to score, and probably hadn’t put the time into his game to go to the next level, you can understand that there is a bit of resentment [from the Sixers],” Heal said on Saturday.

“But, on the other side, they threw him under the bus as well. I thought Embiid and Doc, they just used him as the excuse of why they didn’t succeed. They were pretty open and blatant about their criticism. I think both parties have a part to play in it.”

Heal said Simmons’ poor perimeter and free-throw shooting and a questionable mindset meant he was not yet a franchise player, and said a trade with the Golden State Warriors where his excellent passing could feed marksmen Klay Thompson and Steph Curry would be an ideal outcome. The Warriors, however, have so far said they will not pursue Simmons, whose trade value has taken a major hit through his poor own form and the Sixers’ jarring comments. He has yet to publicly discuss his issues.