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“Every day, expect him to come in and move toward being able to help us on the floor because we know we’re a better team with Ben Simmons,” Morey said. “We know that’s the best plan for the team.”

All this comes after Simmons was thrown out of Tuesday’s practice and suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team. He missed Wednesday’s season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.

A league source said Simmons was kicked out for failing to engage during drills. Sixers coach Doc Rivers had an exchange with Simmons about his lack of engagement. The conversation ended with Rivers asking Simmons if wanted to go home or be more engaged, the source said. So he left.

The 25-year-old has only had three days of practice with team after ending his holdout on October 11 and clearing NBA COVID-19 protocols on October 15.

Simmons has been fined $US1.8 million for missing all four pre-season games and being suspended for Wednesday’s tilt. The team also imposed fines for missed meetings and practices.

If Simmons continues to refuse to practice, the Sixers may be faced with the prospect of suspending and fining him on a daily basis.

“We may be going through that for a very long time,” Morey said.

The Sixers plan to approach Simmons’ situation every day like he’s a player who should be around helping them win games.

“If he chooses not to do that,” Morey said, “then we’ll handle it appropriately.”

Morey doesn’t think the Simmons saga is a distraction. He knows the Sixers will benefit most if Simmons is convinced to play and stay with the team until his fate is resolved.

“I’ll go through mud, muck over barbed wire,” Morey said. “Like we all will, Doc Rivers, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris. We will go through whatever it takes, whatever process, whatever pain, whatever hill we have to climb. Whatever helps the 76ers win the title, we are going to do it.

“What we are doing right now, gives us the best chance to win the title.”

A great time to unload Simmons would be after December 15, the first day this summer’s newly signed free agents can be traded.

But what if the Sixers don’t get their asking price at the time? Are they willing to wait until the trade deadline in February? And are they willing to keep him on roster the entire season if a potential trading partner doesn’t meet their demands?

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“You are going to think I’m kidding. I’m not,” Morey said. “This could take four years. The conditions I pointed out to you don’t change unless Ben Simmons is traded for a difference maker. We are in the prime of Joel’s career ... So this could be four years.

“This is not a day-to-day thing. This is like every day we are going to expect Ben Simmons to be back here or we are trading him for a difference maker. There’s no other outcome that doesn’t materially hurt our chance to win the championship in Joel Embiid’s prime.”

After Simmons was spotted at what might have been his last full Sixers practice with a large object in his pocket, he was widely ripped for playing with a purported mobile phone on hand. The Athletic’s journalist Shams Charania confirmed Wednesday that it was, in fact, a rolled-up practice jersey.

But there have been pointed remarks about the effect of Simmons’ absence. According to Embiid, on normal road trips, Embiid holes up in his hotel and games. In New Orleans, with Simmons banished, the team hit the road for a pre-game dinner.

“That’s also an evolution for me, because I usually, when I used to go on the road, I’d just like to stay in my room and be on the phone and play video games,” Embiid said after the game.

“We’ve been doing more stuff together, and I think it goes a long way when you have that type of relationship as teammates ... It’s good to just go out and kinda not talk about basketball and talk about life.”

Tyrese Maxey, who started at point guard in Simmons’ absence, added: “The chemistry is really well. Guys like playing with each other, guys like being around each other. Sometimes adversity makes you stronger, makes the bond closer and we got to just keep building.”

Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Daily News

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