Old 'Young King' could join reigning 'King James' at Sixers

• ‍'Healthy' Ben Simmons putting 'Heat' on comeback‍
• Ben Simmons 'fishing' for NBA return - literally‍
• The Ballad of Aussie Benjamin David Simmons

‍Drums are starting to beat louder and louder for Ben Simmons’ stunning return to the Philadelphia 76ers more than four years after his acrimonious exit from the team took him with the first pick of the 2016 NBA draft.

Simmons, 30, sat out the 2025-26 season and became a professional fisherman, but the Melbourne-born point-forward revealed in late June: “Maybe I’ll go back to Philly.

“Miami would be nice. And not because it’s Miami – I like Erik Spoelstra, I like the Heat, I like their organisation, I like the culture.”

Simmons told Men’s Health magazine that he had ramped up his training regimen to “two and a half to three hours of lifting and body work, as well as hour-and-a-half sessions on the court, with a day or two off every week.”

“I plan on getting as strong as I can physically, getting my ass on the court, and then the team realising that my abilities will be needed,” he said.

The Sixers are reportedly considering Simmons for their final roster spot after building another superteam – LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.

In the last 24 hours, Simmons posted to Instagram a photo of LeBron XXIII 'Old Glory' edition kicks.

James, 41, signed with the Sixers for the veteran minimum contract (USD $3,876,529) with a player option for 2027-28 (extraordinary in itself), which means Philadelphia can also sign Simmons using the Veteran Minimum Exception despite being over the salary cap.

• $1.83 million below the first apron
• $14.5 million below the second apron
• Over the salary cap (-$56.4M in cap space)
• Over the luxury tax by $6.76M
• Estimated tax bill: $6.93M

Because Philadelphia is an over-the-cap team, they don't need cap space to sign Simmons. They can use the Veteran Minimum Exception, which every NBA team has available.

The Sixers have 17 players plus two two-way players listed on their cap sheet.

To add Simmons, they'd need to:

• waive or trade a player on a standard contract, or
• wait until another roster move creates an opening.

The obvious candidates would be the least-guaranteed end-of-bench contracts.

Simmons' former agent, Rich Paul, who is also James’ agent, told Max Kellerman on their podcast last month that the former All-Star could still be a “$30,000,000 NBA player”.

“I remember having a conversation, me and Ben talking. I said, ‘Ben, you got so much left in the tank, bro. If you just become a pick-and-roll five at the end of games, because your playmaking ability makes you a different rolling big’,” Paul said.

“We see so many rolling bigs with low IQ. You actually have a high IQ. We know he was all first-team All-Defense.

“If you just become that, where you're rolling down the lane, dunk, man rotates over, kick to the... if you just become that, you're a $30 million player.”

Simmons missed last season after his deal with the Los Angeles Clippers expired. The unrestricted free agent received a one-year minimum contract offer from the New York Knicks before the start of the 2025-26 season, which he rejected.

He bought into the South Florida Sails and won an angling championship in May 2026.

It doesn’t take a long memory to understand the significance of Simmons’ potential return to the Sixers. To understand why, read The Ballad of Aussie Benjamin David Simmons.

• 2017-2021 Ben Simmons was a 3× NBA All-Star (2019–2021); All-NBA Third Team (2020); 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2020, 2021); NBA Rookie of the Year (2018); NBA All-Rookie First Team (2018); and NBA steals leader (2020).
• 2017-2021 Ben Simmons also had 32 triple-doubles, dropped a career high 42 on the Utah Jazz in a February 2021 road game, monstered the boards a career high 22 times against the New York Knicks in January 2019, and dished a career high 17 dimes as part of an all-world triple double (16-13-17) against the Detroit Pistons in December, 2019.
• 2021-22 Ben Simmons, now 26, didn't play a single minute of NBA basketball.
• 2022-23 Ben Simmons played just 42 games, averaged 26 minutes (about eight less than he did at the Sixers), 6.9 points per game, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists.
• 2023-24 Ben Simmons played only 15 games, two-and-a-half fewer minutes than the season prior, and averaged 6.1 points per game, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.
• 2024-25 Ben Simmons, 28, played in 33 games for the Nets, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists. In February 2025, the Nets and Ben Simmons agreed to a contract buyout, waiving him and his frustrating stint in Brooklyn. He then signed with the Los Angeles Clippers on a one-year deal worth around (USD) $1.08 million.

At Brooklyn, he played just 90 games for the Nets in three seasons, earning more than $100M after signing a five-year, $177.2M contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, which was traded to the Nets. His 2024-25 salary, his final year of that deal, was $40.3M.

Simmons’ potential NBA comeback isn’t his only goal.

Australian Boomers assistant coach and Simmons' godfather, David Patrick, said the two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member wanted to don the Boomers jersey again.

"Believe it or not, he wants to wear it, and I think the Olympics is kind of his goal," Patrick said.

"I think as he's got older and matured like all of us do, I think that's one thing he hasn't ticked off the box, playing for his country. He played in the youth level, but it's nothing like playing with the Boomers.

"So I think he's on track to trying to get healthy mentally and physically, and I think it's something that he will try to do moving forward.

"It'd be an exciting time to hopefully try to get him into LA, but there's some steps in place when you've been out for the year that he has been."

But Boomers veteran leader Jock Landale has said … not so fast.

Landale, 30, and the Boomers are preparing for the 2027 FIBA Men's World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“As for Ben's relationship with the Boomers, from what I understand, there's a bit of history there,” Landale told Dyl & Friends.

“I wasn't involved back then, and I don't hold any judgment towards it.

“I would've loved to have had him along many times. I don't know where he sits with basketball right now.

“I see him working out every now and again.

“I think it's one of those things where we'd love to have him if he's ready to go, healthy, mentally in a good spot and willing, like everyone else, to buy into the Boomers culture. But if not, no hard feelings.

“He could've helped us a lot at times. It would've been cool to come home with a few more medals with his help.

“But that's reality. We're not going to beg. We've got this thing where if you want to be a part of it, you're there.

“It's just that simple. The invite's there. The invite's always there.”

The first step and questions remain – will Simmons sign with the Sixers for 2026-27 – alongside the player who once dubbed him “Young King”.