Joel Embiid openly discussed the departure of Ben Simmons, during a recent interview with Malika Andrews on "NBA Today." The duo shared the court together for nearly six years as the cornerstones of the Philadephia 76ers. But, their working relationship quickly turned sour when the team was upset by the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semi-finals last year. After their Game 7 loss, Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers implied that Ben Simmons' lack of aggressiveness on the offensive end may have cost them a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
To that, Ben Simmons cut off communications with the 76ers organization for several months until expressing his desire to be traded to any other team in the league. The 6'10 wingman finally got his wish, as he was moved to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden, right before the trade deadline expired on February 10th.
According to Joel Embiid, his ex-teammate isn't the only one who got his wish. During his sit-down interview with Malika Andrews in Cleveland, this year's frontrunner for the MVP award expressed the sense of relief that he felt when his former co-star was finally traded away for some much-needed support on his roster.
"I did a lot of chasing around trying to get him back and try to make him feel comfortable again. It was tough. I didn’t care anymore," Embiid said.
Scroll up to listen to Joel Embiid speak more about his former teammate, new teammate James Harden, and his MVP chances.
Source: NBA on ESPN
