The Philadelphia 76ers have been penciled in for a potential reunion with former All-Star Ben Simmons since last summer, but nothing really materialized on that front. Well, unfortunately for the peanut gallery, which has grown weary of that thought piece, it appears that the rumor will be here to stay. After all, as reported by ESPN's Marc Spears, Simmons had regained his athleticism, and several teams have already extended invitations for him to participate in training camp.
This development comes at an opportune time for the rumor mill to keep churning faster on the Simmons to 76ers front. Philly still has an available roster spot, and while they technically cannot sign anyone for now, the front office can force open one slot in the lineup by parting ways with anyone. That, of course, presupposes that the team has an actual interest in bringing in their former star.
The Ben Simmons to 76ers rumors are not going away anytime soon following latest report
The narrative flair which attends the Simmons to 76ers trail is undoubtedly enough reason to stir up commotion in the market, but this time, there are actually real basketball reasons for both parties to express actionable interest on a second partnership.
As currently constructed, the 76ers still need depth at the big man position and size. More playmaking will not hurt, either, especially since their bench is devoid of natural table-setters right now. Those are basically the traits that Simmons still possesses despite being years away from his All-Star form.
With the disgruntled star being willing to accept a veteran's minimum deal to possibly reignite his career, the 76ers have all the tools necessary to lure him back in. Having LeBron James, whom Simmons is connected to some degree as a Klutch client, should also help. There are already multiple teams lining up to test out his current form, but Philly has some advantages in a prospective "bidding war."
Simmons had already admitted not too long ago that he is interested in a reunion with the 76ers, so clearly, that is one step out of the way. Of course, both camps have unfinished business together given how unceremonious his exit from the franchise was. And while there is still some residual negative sentiments out of the infamous situation in the past, there is much smaller harm involved this time if the team dips its fingers into the Simmons front once more.
Anyhow, this noise will not go away anytime soon. As such, it might be time for the 76ers front office to seriously start pondering about life with their former All-Star once more, albeit in a minor capacity compared to before.
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