NBA rumors: Ben Simmons teases comeback, names 76ers, Heat as landing spots

Former number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons was out of the NBA for the 2025-26 season, instead taking up the sport of fishing and watching the league’s season play out from afar. Still, that doesn’t mean the three-time All-Star doesn’t have any interest in competing at the highest level once again.

“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,” he says. “I don’t have a plan on where,” he said, per Clay Skipper of Men’s Health.  “Miami would be nice. And not because it’s Miami—I like Erik Spoelstra, I like the Heat, I like their organization, I like the culture.”

At this point, it’s hard to imagine Philadelphia welcoming back Simmons with open arms after the disastrous end to his tenure there. Simmons provided some elite play for the 76ers over his first few years in the league, but gradually, his inability and unwillingness to shoot the ball drew fans’ ire, culminating in a disastrous 2021 playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, after which things reached the point of no return.

The following summer was filled with jabs in the media, non-attendance at practice, and other turmoil, before he was finally dealt to the Brooklyn Nets, where his career was never quite able to get back off the ground, largely due to injuries.

Still, Simmons says he is not feeling pressure to make his mark on the NBA once again.

“Nah, there’s no pressure,” he said. “I had pressure when I was injured. People are gonna say the same thing every single time..”

As he approaches age 30, it will be interesting to see how much he has left in the tank.

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