The 2025 offseason came and went without Ben Simmons finding a team. He now appears to have a destination very much in mind.
The former first overall NBA Draft pick saw his career hit a nadir last year with his release by the Brooklyn Nets and an unproductive stay with the Los Angeles Clippers. He remains a free agent, and indicated an interest in returning to the Philadelphia 76ers when he liked an Instagram comment saying he’d be a good fit for the team last week.
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He further demonstrated his interest on Tuesday, when he responded to a question about the Sixers by saying he’d play there for free, while alluding to other issues, such as his health.
The exchange:
If @sixers asked you back to play center / pf would you come back on minimum contract would you
Simmons: it aint about the $, id hoop there for free. Its deeper then what they make y’all believe which is why i keep it pushing 🤐 rn the focus is gettin the body to 100% before putting my health on the line again… like i have been the past few years
So that’s what Simmons has been up to lately.
The 29-year-old’s career simply hasn’t been the same since a messy divorce from the Sixers that saw him hold out of training camp and preseason and accrue nearly $20 million in fines, which resulted in a grievance and settlement. Philadelphia eventually traded him and his nine-figure contract to Brooklyn, but he was then sidelined by surgery for a herniated disc in his back.
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Before the surgery, Simmons was offensively limited to his complete lack of shooting outside the paint, but still held value thanks to his passing, rebounding and first-team NBA All-Defense performance. Since the surgery, he has struggled to remain on the court and has seen his numbers crater across the board.
The idea of a healthy Simmons on a league-minimum contract — pretty much all he could get at this point — might hold some appeal for teams but, as the man himself said, he still actually has to reach 100 percent. And it seems doubtful the Sixers would be one of those teams, even with their own depth issues, considering the history there.