Ben Simmons may be on the verge of another NBA shot, and a handful of teams are already sitting in the mix.
A decade after arriving in the league as the No. 1 overall pick, Simmons is working toward a comeback and is showing himself at a minicamp for the Australian national team, ESPN reported. The same report said NBA teams have interest in bringing him in on a minimum contract.
Simmons sat out the NBA last season and instead drew attention as the co-owner of a professional fishing team. For a while, it looked like his basketball run might be done. Now, there’s at least a chance for one more chapter.
One possible reunion sits in Philadelphia. Simmons has said the 76ers are a team he would consider because the regime he clashed with in 2021 has been completely replaced.
The fit is not perfect after the 76ers added LeBron James, but Philadelphia still needs more playmaking off the bench, and Simmons’ size could help in a backcourt that is almost entirely set. If the old tension really is gone - and Simmons says it is - the door to a return opens a little wider.
Golden State is another option. The Warriors would not be getting shooting from Simmons, and that limitation is obvious.
Still, he could add size and ease some of the burden on the guards if Steve Kerr decides to use him. Kristaps Porzingis is not a major rebounder for his size, Al Horford is 40 and only 6-8, and the Warriors have leaned heavily on small-ball looks with Draymond Green.
Simmons could give them a different look, especially as a rebounder and defender.
The Lakers also come up as a possible fit. Simmons and JJ Redick were teammates with the 76ers, and Los Angeles has a hole at power forward.
His defensive impact could make him worth a look, even if questions remain about how he would fit next to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves because of his shooting issues. The Lakers would also need to clear a roster spot after a busy summer.
Milwaukee is in the conversation too, even if the fit feels more like a swing than a tidy solution. The Bucks know they are not contending in any form in the East this season as they move away from the Giannis Antetokounmpo era, and their roster already leans strange. Kyle Kuzma has not given them much in the frontcourt, so Simmons could be a way to get the playing time he needs to try to re-establish himself as a regular again.
Minnesota offers another path. Simmons and Rudy Gobert do not make for the cleanest pairing, but the Timberwolves have openings in the frontcourt after trading away both Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Among contenders, they may offer one of the best chances for Simmons to get on the floor, and his size and defense could be enough to justify a flier for a team trying to keep pace with the Spurs and Thunder in the West.
Then there’s Sacramento, where almost anything seems possible. Reports have said the Kings are weighing a Russell Westbrook return and even a Victor Oladipo comeback, so Simmons would fit right into the “why not?”
category. He would give them another ball-handler and a real chance at minutes on a team that, as the reporting noted, does not have anything to play for.
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