Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons -- cornerstones of the Philadelphia 76ers' yearslong rebuild -- will not participate in summer league play this year, team president Bryan Colangelo told reporters Monday.
The players could instead use the summer to focus on their health. Embiid played in 31 games in 2016-17, averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, before his season was cut short by a torn left meniscus. Simmons broke his right foot in September and missed the rest of the season.
Colangelo does expect 2016 first-rounder Furkan Korkmaz to play for the team this summer. Korkmaz is currently under contract with a Turkish Basketball Super League team.
The 76ers will play in the Utah Summer League from July 3-6 and the NBA Summer League from July 7-17.
Philadelphia went 28-54 in 2016-17, its most wins in four seasons, as its playoff drought extended to five years.
