Philadelphia 76ers: Is it possible Ben Simmons will retire soon?
Is it possible Simmons will retire soon: The blockbuster trade and mysterious back injury
On February 10, 2022, the Philadelphia 76ers traded Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two future first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden and Paul Millsap. Finally (!!) the nightmare has ended, well at least the Simmons nightmare has at least. However, the curiosity of Simmons’ situation continued to intrigue NBA fans of all teams. Would this change of scenery benefit Simmons, the 76ers, and the Nets?
In his first public speaking appearance in almost a full calendar year, Simmons sounded hopeful and excited for a fresh start in Brooklyn. He made a startling declaration that he hoped to be suited up and playing for the Nets in a game against the 76ers in March, less than a month away.
I would’ve taken out a second mortgage on my house to bet that Simmons wouldn’t play that game. The Nets wouldn’t, nay couldn’t, play their newest asset in one of his first games back in the city that will forever curse his name.
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So when would Simmons play again? Right after the early March game versus the Philadelphia 76ers, maybe late March to allow him more time to ramp up his physical conditioning for an NBA game. Or, hear me out here, never.
As the regular season came to a close, Simmons’ status was still uncertain. His back injury had magically reappeared after not being an issue during his pre-trade physical exam. Somehow during the time he was watching his new team from the bench, decked out in Louis Vuitton, Simmons suffered a herniated disk.
Brooklyn still had high hopes for the playoffs even as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. They had two of the most unstoppable scorers in the game, in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and won a string of games heading into the playoffs. They met a brick wall though in the Boston Celtics, who were maybe the most well-rounded team this season.
Simmons’ declared he would return for Game 4 of the series, but with the Nets down 3-0 his back injury miraculously resurfaced after 11 days of no pain and continued progress in practice. So here comes an interesting question, one that deserves actual consideration after reading everything up to this point: Will Ben Simmons retire soon?