People surrounding and following the Philadelphia 76ers have been toying with the thought piece of the team pursuing a reunion with Ben Simmons, but that has been far more contrived than impending. In the grand scheme of things, the team has never really registered any degree of interest in going after their former franchise player back, but that could certainly change this time around.
Simmons is rumored to be eyeing a comeback in the NBA after a one-season sabbatical, even going further to state that he is interested in the prospect of being back in Philly. Well, this summer might just be his best chance to make that once-farfetched idea harden into reality, as the 76ers have the precise need for someone of his ilk.
The 76ers are having a splendid offseason marked by a blockbuster trade, a couple of savvy additions in free agency, and a well-received decision in the draft. Bring Simmons back would make a lot of noise in the market for sure, but more importantly, it would actually be quite sensible on the part of both camps to force their roads to cross once more.
The 76ers could –– and should bring back Ben Simmons in free agency to fill their needs
Rich Paul recently said that Simmons has enough left in the tank to fetch a salary worth $30 million, which is probably unrealistic. Heck, the 76ers do not even need to hover anywhere around that figure to get back with Simmons. After all, he will be a very inexpensive acquisition should that front actualize into something real.
The 76ers still have problems when it comes to playmaking. They could also use more functional depth at the power forward position. Well, those are the two main areas where Simmons should still be good enough as a contributor. After all, his acumen as a table-setter with his big frame cannot be denied despite his waning physicals.
Sure, the caveat with Simmons is that his back injury is basically a recurring thing now, but for the cost of probably the veteran's minimum, that is a pretty easy risk to stomach for the 76ers. Him getting sidelined is already the worst thing that could happen, and he should already be in the headspace to be content with a much more minor role this time.
Reunions rarely make sense from a basketball standpoint, but the 76ers do have actual basketball reasons to seriously contemplate the idea of reuniting with Ben Simmons. Hopefully, this fan-driven storyline actually gets to the front office given how he can still help aid the group in a couple of key areas.
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