It was almost 11 months ago that the Brooklyn Nets completed a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets for James Harden -- which, as a result, meant All-Star guard Ben Simmons would remain with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I mean, this is a business," Simmons said then. "Things like that happen. Only thing I can control is, you know, how I approach my workouts, the games and my day-to-day thing. So, you know, I'm just trying to be professional and to do the right thing and help my team get wins."

That quote came after a Sixers game in Philadelphia against the Miami Heat on Jan. 14. The Heat returned to Philadelphia on Wednesday -- but this time, Simmons wasn't playing. Instead, he has turned the tables on the 76ers, first asking to be traded in the offseason and then spending the past two-plus months engaged in a contentious holdout to attempt to make that request a reality as soon as possible.

The year 2021 has been a chaotic one around the 76ers -- not that that's anything new for this team in recent seasons. But to see how things reached the point they have today between Simmons and the 76ers, one doesn't need to go back to the Harden negotiations, but instead to this past spring -- and yet another failed Philadelphia playoff run. -- Tim Bontemps

'Here to win': Simmons answers critics in 76ers' Game 2 victory

Simmons, 25, had a breakout offensive performance in Game 2 of the 76ers' first-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards on May 26. He also snapped back at those who questioned his approach.

The All-Star guard recorded 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists without needing to step on the floor in the fourth quarter as the 76ers won to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

In Game 1, Simmons had 15 assists and 15 rebounds but just six points. That unbalanced line led to negative feedback, particularly in Philly. It led to coach Doc Rivers calling out 76ers fans by saying, "If you guys don't know the treasure you have by now, then shame on everyone."

Simmons said: "I thought it was pretty hard to get 15 assists and 15 rebounds in the NBA in the playoffs. I thought that was pretty impressive. And we won. What y'all want? You want to win? For me, I'm here to win and I'm doing what I need to do to help my team win, whatever it is. I'm not trying to prove anybody wrong or anything like that. I'm trying to do my job to win."

Simmons shoulders blame after 76ers' Game 7 loss, playoff exit

After the 76ers bowed out of the 2020-21 playoffs following a postseason in which he was historically inept from the free throw line and struggled to score in the second round, Simmons took the blame.

"I ain't shoot well from the line this series," Simmons said following the Sixers' 103-96 Game 7 loss to the Hawks. "Offensively, I wasn't there. I didn't do enough for my teammates. ... There's a lot of things that I need to work on."

He was particularly unreliable at the end of games, failing to attempt a single shot in the fourth quarter in five out of the seven games

Simmons shot 15-for-45 (33%) on foul shots against Atlanta and 34.2% from the line for the 2021 playoffs overall, accounting for the worst free throw percentage in NBA playoff history for a player with at least 70 attempts, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

In Game 7, Simmons passed up a wide-open dunk for a pass -- putting a bow on a confounding lack of shots in the latter part of the series.

Sources: Simmons won't report, is done with the franchise

Sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Simmons will not report for the opening of training camp and he intends to never play another game for the franchise. Simmons wants a trade out of Philadelphia and has told management he has no plans to wear an NBA uniform again until he is moved to a new team, according to sources.

Simmons explained his stance to ownership and management in a late August meeting in Los Angeles and has had no direct contact with the 76ers organization for weeks, sources said.

Simmons has four years and $147 million left on his max contract -- including $33 million for 2021-22. His contract is structured for him to receive 50% of his salary before Oct. 1.

At Simmons' request, the Sixers have discussed trades throughout the league since the end of the playoffs, but they have been disappointed in the offers and have decided to hold on to him with hopes he would start the season and improve his trade value with his performance.

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Simmons practices with 76ers, status for NBA opener unknown

Rivers tries to play Simmons' return to the 76ers cool, introducing the point guard to the team at practice with a joke like the coach would use for any other player who returns from a drawn-out absence.

"That's how it is," Rivers says on Oct. 17. Only problem was, this was no ordinary return from an injury or any other ho-hum excuse. Simmons practiced Sunday and faced his teammates for the first time since his trade demand -- in other words, he begrudgingly slips on a Sixers jersey with a team he no longer wants to play for and teammates he no longer wants to play with.

When asked if Simmons' return to practice was awkward, 76ers forward Tobias Harris said, facetiously, "No. It was perfectly fine."

No decision has been made on Simmons' status for Wednesday's season opener at the New Orleans Pelicans. "When he's ready, he'll play," Rivers said.

Simmons tells 76ers he's not mentally ready to play

Simmons had planned to meet with medical professionals for an evaluation after telling the team on Oct. 22 that he wasn't mentally ready to play to his expectations and needs time to step away, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Simmons meets separately with Rivers, medical staff and teammates at the team's facility in Camden, New Jersey, and starts a process that is expected to keep him from making his season debut, according to sources. After he tells the team's medical staff of his reasons for needing to seek help, the Sixers reportedly offer Simmons whatever resources are necessary to assist him. He is officially ruled out of Friday's game with Brooklyn for personal reasons.

The Sixers have been fining Simmons for missing games, practices and meetings -- nearing $2 million this season -- but there is a provision in the collective bargaining agreement that protects players' salaries for failing to render services "if such failure has been caused by the player's mental disability."

Sources: Lillard off-limits in trade talks for Simmons

As the 76ers gathered momentum in trade conversations for Simmons, the Portland Trail Blazers reiterated on Dec. 10 that one of the Sixers' top targets -- All-NBA guard Damian Lillard -- is not available to be discussed, sources told ESPN.

Nevertheless, the Sixers have become more engaged on multiple fronts in talks centered on Simmons. Philadelphia has been aggressively trying to assemble two- and three-team deal structures to land a package that would include a top 25-level player, sources said.

The Blazers have been open to discussing a deal for Simmons centered on guard CJ McCollum, but that conversation never gathered traction, sources said.