Is Ben Simmons trying to get back into the good graces of the Philadelphia 76ers organization?
The 76ers unceremoniously traded the former No. 1 overall pick to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2022 for All-Star guard James Harden.
During that time, Simmons was in a months-long standoff with the 76ers after he asked to be traded following their Game 7 Eastern Conference Semifinals loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He will forever be remembered for passing the ball instead of dunking with the game winding down.
Ben Simmons passed up a wide open dunk in the 4th quarter to tie Game 7 of the East semis vs. the Hawks 3 years ago today 👀
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 20, 2024
Matisse Thybulle would split the free throws and the Sixers would go on to lose the series.pic.twitter.com/LHuQCEdYGp
Simmons was away from the 76ers for a majority of the 2021-22 season before being traded, and he alienated many of his teammates in the process, including Joel Embiid.
Despite getting a fresh start in Brooklyn, things have actually gotten worse. In three seasons, he’s only played in 70 games going into Wednesday night due to injury. He’s in the last year of his five-year, $177 million deal that he signed with the 76ers prior to the 2020-21 season.
With Simmons set to be a free agent, is he looking to return to where his professional career started?
Ben Simmons reportedly reached out to former Philadelphia 76ers teammates
ESPN NBA insider Ramona Shelburne reports that Simmons reached out to Embiid and other former teammates last summer in an effort to bridge their differences.
“But so much has gone wrong for Simmons and his former team in the years they’ve been apart that Simmons’ presence back in Philadelphia barely registered this time. He’d even reached out to Embiid and others last summer, league sources said, hoping to mend fences,” Shelburne wrote.
“Could they ever try to figure it out together again? One source called it unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Especially with the Sixers.”
It’s hard to envision Simmons ever wearing a 76ers uniform again, given how everything went and ended. He will never be accepted back by the Philadelphia fan base, as he’s booed vociferously whenever he returns to Wells Fargo Center.
When the Nets played the 76ers last Friday, Simmons’ missed layup at the basket — when he didn’t even hit the rim — quickly went viral and was just a microcosm of what his career has become.
I unfortunately cannot stop watching this Ben Simmons layup attempt… Sheesh man pic.twitter.com/pVxlamXue9
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) November 23, 2024
In 13 games this season, Simmons is averaging 5.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Related: Philadelphia 76ers surprisingly unable to trade Joel Embiid this season: Here’s why