Former Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons is still eyeing an NBA comeback, with recent reports even pointing to him already in the stage of strengthening his body in anticipation of his eventual return to the league. However, it appears like Rich Paul, a well-known player agent, is not exactly enthused about the prospect of him even suiting up in the league moving forward.
In a recent podcast appearance, Paul, who heads Klutch Sports Group, tackled a myriad of topics, and among them was Simmons. When asked about what he thinks of Simmons as he eyes an NBA comeback, the longtime agent hinted that there is still the real possibility that he will no longer be in uniform for another team.
Paul doubled down on his belief that Simmons had already accomplished everything he set out to do, that he got a max contract a few years back from the 76ers and loved what the game brought him despite the constant naysayers hovering around him. That is not exactly the tone you would want to hear if you are a Simmons fans, especially when it comes from someone like Paul who has negotiated in behalf of some of the highest-profile names in the league.
Former 76ers star Ben Simmons still faces the possibility of a completely dry market
Truth be told, it is not like Simmons has complete control over what his market could look like, if there even is one. Teams are starting to get a firmer grasp of what they need, and while that may bolster his chances of getting signed in the middle of the season, that is still pretty much a conjectural thing. The same rings true for the contrary, and he could also find himself struggling to get clubs to express real interest in adding him.
Simmons, after all, is someone who requires a very specific kind of roster construction and lineup permutations in order to make him a functional piece on the hardwood. Unless he proves it otherwise, he will always be pegged as a non-scorer who can be neglected in half-court settings.
In addition, he is a colossal question mark in the health department. A big reason why he became such an unwilling scorer is the fact that his upper body mishaps have prevented him from going into regular shooting motions, and there is still nothing tangible to show that he had already gone past that in during this interregnum.
Of course, it would be very pleasant to see to the former 76ers star make a successful return to the league, but if we stick by the hard-cold facts, there is also a real chance that we may no longer see him. Hopefully, the former is the one that ends up transpiring.