The NBA community has not heard a lot from former Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons for quite some time now, but that seems to be slowly changing. All of a sudden, the team has once again been linked to their ex-cager, although the main difference this time is that a reunion is starting to make a ton of sense for both camps from a basketball standpoint.
In a recent exchange with the Men's Health magazine, Simmons bared that he is attempting to make an NBA comeback with the 76ers and the Heat as his target landing spots. This opens up the highly divisive debate among the Philly faithful not too long ago whether the former All-Star is a feasible option for the franchise given their current needs.
"I plan on getting as strong as I can physically, getting my ass on the court, and then the team realizing that my abilities will be needed… Maybe I’ll go back to Philly. Miami would be nice."
Obviously, this news bit is pretty raw seeing that it came from Simmons' own conjectures. Be that as it may, the 76ers should actually want this thought bubble to materialize into a real thing. After all, at least in theory, Simmons can lend them a hand in some of the more pressing departments on the roster.
The 76ers should definitely pursue a reunion with Ben Simmons this offseason
Simmons has been out of the league since his forgettable stint with the Clippers. Despite a couple of offers last year, the former 76ers star decided to sit the 2025-26 season out to focus on getting his body right. Now, it would appear that he is ready to return to the league.
With Philly lacking depth at forward and missing some serious playmaking chops on the roster, the lane is now wide open for the front office to actually yield to Simmons' desire for a reunion. Of course, there will always be a major risk attachd to him given his injury concerns, but for someone who can be had for chump change, the team could do far worse than the former All-Star.
Even during his brief stint in LA, Simmons was still able to exhibit his defensive malleability and his playmaking skills. Those are two urgent areas of concern for the 76ers right now, and ushering Simmons back in would give them some sense of security in those areas without having to over-commit.
His lack of presence outside the paint will limit his playing time, but he can still be a solid contributor in spurts as long as he is surrounded by the right players. Whether the 76ers will be willing to adjust for him remains to be seen, but upon preliminary pondering, another partnership with Simmons is simply too tempting from a basketball sense to just gloss over without more than scant consideration.
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