Daryl Morey admits he should have had a better relationship with Ben Simmons: “I really believe that, that’s on me”

A week after Ben Simmons’ long-awaited exit from the Philadelphia 76ers, franchise president Daryl Morey seemed remorseful about how things played out.

Simmons, who said he had mental health issues and as such could not play, and the organization had been in a standoff since the offseason. The 2018 Rookie of the Year was fined more than $19 million for refusing to play before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets last week.

The unexpected possibility of landing Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden opened up an opportunity for the “Fresh Prince” to get a new start when the stars were traded.

According to Dan Feldman of NBC Sports, Morey regretted some of his actions, suggesting he could have handled the impasse a lot differently by building a better relationship with Simmons. Morey also said he believed Simmons and wondered if he could have gotten him back to play for the 76ers.

“To be fair to him, he clearly – I believe him. He was going through something,” Morey said. “And it was just whether or not we could’ve gotten to the point where we would have him play basketball for us. I should have had a better relationship with Ben. I really believe that. That’s on me.”

Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey talks about his management of Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons hasn’t played this season after he held out for a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. His absence resulted in him being penalized for every game he missed. Philadelphia, meanwhile, held firm to its asking price of getting an All-Star in return for Simmons in any trade deal.

Simmons said he was battling mental health issues. He said he felt strongly that his move was part of the healing process he needed. Both the player and the franchise were in a standoff.

Simmons even got called out a couple of times by his teammates, with Joel Embiid criticizing him for putting himself above the team.

Morey said he has learned from the impasse and from Simmons, saying there is a need to better understand players.

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“I think knowing how sensitive he was to public comments that that behooved us to be, just organizationally, more careful on that,” Morey said. “I think it’s important you know your top players and their different spots where you have to pay attention.”