Free Agent Ben Simmons Working Toward NBA Comeback

“Yeah. It depends on what I want to give them, though,” he said of coming back this season. “It’s one of those things where I can go out and play and probably do really well and do important things for a team. But I want to get my body to the best it’s been. That’s the best of focus. I don’t want to have any setbacks or anything like that. That’s my major focus because I don’t think it’s good for anybody if I’m out there and I’m not 100 percent. So, for me, it’s getting to my peak physicality right now and then we’ll see what happens.”

A report surfaced in September suggesting that Simmons was weighing the possibility of retirement, but his comments to Spears indicate he’s focused on getting back to the league.

Simmons split last season with the Nets and Clippers, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 51 games. It was the most appearances he has made in a season since 2020/21, which was his last All-Star year.

Simmons was expected to be a perennial All-Star early in his career but his career was derailed by injuries, along with his offensive limitations and issues with management. His main physical issue has been back injuries — he’s had two surgical procedures done on his back.

He’s working on getting that issue resolved.

“The original time we were just approaching a lot of my rehab wrong. And I don’t think it was on the therapist. I just think we had to get a new set of eyes on it,” he said. “And a lot of it was my mobility and that nerve running through your back, through my leg. I could barely jump off it or really move around. So, where I’m at now, I’m back on court in the gym [six days per week]. It’s two-a-days right now and then on court, too. It’s exhausting, but this is the best I’ve felt in terms of the work I’ve been putting in. And so, when you see that and you’re getting rewarded for it, it keeps you in there. You want to see more. So, I feel really good. I feel like physically, mentally, I’m in a great place and I’m very blessed.”

Simmons said he was limited physically last season, even when he did play.

“I felt like I could barely really move how I wanted to. It was tough to really do what I wanted to do given where I was,” he said. “And at the same time, some people are happy with maybe you can give me a few minutes doing this and that. For me, I want to be able to do as much as I can. I don’t want to go out there knowing I’m going to play a certain amount of minutes when I know I can give more.”

As Spears details, Simmons has been doing basketball, strength, and rehabilitation workouts twice a day, six days a week, and believes it won’t be much longer before he’s ready to go.

“I’m looking maybe halfway through this year, if not next season,” he said. “Yeah, it just depends how far I can come along in that next month or so. But I’m feeling great. I haven’t had any setbacks.”

Simmons made a major change in representation, re-signing with super-agent Rich Paul and Klutch Sports while parting ways with Bernie Lee. Paul represented Simmons earlier in his career.

“I had to make a hard decision. The first thing was letting go of my original agent last summer,” he said. “I just told him right now it’s not a fit. And it was nothing personal against him at all. It was just for me, I wanted to take that time to get my body right, get my mind right, and just make that the sole focus.”

Simmons is relying on Paul to help him find another opportunity.

“I don’t think there’s any real pressure or worry. I think it’s just they felt the same way as I felt. I said, ‘I need just time to get ready and just focus on my body.’ There’s no point in going out there and not being physically able and everyone’s on the same page, so it’s just working until you’re right,” he said. “I never had any bad blood with [Klutch Sports]. It was just one of those things where it’s like, we’re men. We’re not boys. It is what it is. S–t happened. Let’s figure it out. Let’s talk. That’s how relationships figure themselves out, and you talk them through. But there’s no bad blood. It is what it is. It’s family. I fight with my family all the time and things happen.”