Ben Simmons to lose $494k for every NBA game he misses

Ben Simmons will lose nearly half-a-million dollars every time he refuses to play for Philadelphia as his controversial trade saga turns ugly.

Ben Simmons wants to escape. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Ben Simmons is set to pay a very high price for his 76ers holdout.

The Aussie NBA star is trying to force a trade away from Philadelphia, upset at the scrutiny he’s been under since his poor offensive performances in the playoffs against Atlanta.

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He’s boycotting pre-season camp, adamant he doesn’t want to suit up for the 76ers again or share the floor with All-Star centre Joel Embiid. But it’s going to cost him.

The Sixers are playing Toronto in a pre-season game today but Simmons isn’t with the team. ESPN reports he’ll be fined approximately $AUD494,000 for missing the clash. That same penalty will be extended for every game Simmons misses from here on out — both in the pre-season and when the campaign proper gets underway later this month.

According to ESPN, Simmons won’t automatically be able to get this money back even if he eventually secures the trade he so desperately wants.

“Simmons would only be able to get some, or all, of the fine money back by coming to a settlement with the 76ers, who would have no incentive to do so,” the publication reports.

NBA games start with 48 minutes on the clock so it means it will only take that long for Simmons to be docked $494,000. The money will be taken out of an escrow account that holds the $11.4 million Philadelphia refused to pay Simmons on the weekend because of his boycott.

Any takes for the Aussie NBA star? (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

News about the eye-watering cost of Simmons’ refusal to play comes as an NBA fan delivered a humiliating insult to the 25-year-old after footage showed the Philadelphia resident trapping an alligator near his house in a garbage bin.

Eugene Bozzi became a local media sensation and when interviewed on TV by CBS Philadelphia about his alligator escapades, took a pop at the man in danger of becoming the city’s least favourite baller.

“I just jumped into action and I said, you know what, I’m not going to be Ben Simmons. I’m going to get me this basket,” Bozzi said, taking aim at Simmons’ shooting ability — or lack thereof.

The CBS anchor cracked up and plenty of viewers loved it too. The one-liner went viral and a clip of the interview was viewed more than 183,000 times when uploaded to social media by the popular NBA Central Twitter account.

Ben Simmons has fallen out with his teammates. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America/AFP)

Simmons and the 76ers remain at an impasse because the franchise hasn’t been able to agree to a trade package with any other teams it believes compensates it fairly for the loss of a three-time NBA All-Star.

Speaking on SEN’s Breakfast with Garry and Tim on Monday, Bobby Marks of ESPN said the saga could drag on into “early December”.

“He’s (Simmons) gonna be home (in Philadelphia when the season starts),” Marks said. “I think he’ll be home, he’ll still have the Sixer name attached to him.

“I don’t think he’s gonna be traded by the time the season starts.

“I think it gets dragged into mid-November, maybe even into early December.

“But I still think he’s gonna be a Sixer when we get going in a couple of weeks.”