76ers reunion with controversial No. 1 pick isn't out of the picture, per NBA Insider

Ben Simmons parted ways with the Philadelphia 76ers connected beauteous atrocious terms, each things considered. Following a testy holdout that lasted implicit fractional the 2022 season, the Sixers told Simmons not to fto the doorway deed him connected the mode retired erstwhile they traded him.

Since then, the erstwhile No. 1 pick, who was erstwhile expected to beryllium a transcendent star, has looked similar a ammunition of his erstwhile aforesaid during his tenure with the Brooklyn Nets.

Simmons is averaging 5.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.6 assists in 14 games this season. That’s a acold outcry from the numbers helium enactment up with the Sixers but par for the people since helium joined the Nets.

He is besides successful the past twelvemonth of a five-year, $177 cardinal contract. When that expires, Simmons volition person to see his adjacent squad carefully. He astir apt volition person suitors, but they won’t wage that overmuch for him, seeing however his worth has cratered. His availability for inexpensive amazingly opens the doorway for a Sixers reunion.

That sounds ridiculous, but ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne mentioned it respective days aft the Sixers faced the Nets connected November 22.

“But truthful overmuch has gone incorrect for Simmons and his erstwhile squad successful the years they've been isolated that Simmons' beingness backmost successful Philadelphia hardly registered this time,” Shelburne wrote. “Could they ever effort to fig it retired unneurotic again? One root called it unlikely, but alien things person happened. Especially with the Sixers.”

It’s not arsenic brainsick arsenic it sounds

The Sixers desperately request playmaking, adjacent astatine afloat strength, due to the fact that they deficiency precisely that.

Having top-notch playmakers similar Simmons and James Harden kept the Sixers astatine the apical of the Eastern Conference for respective years. Despite inactive having top-notch talent, not having that anymore hurts them.

Bringing Simmons backmost would besides termination 2 birds with 1 stone, arsenic helium would springiness them an fantabulous playmaker portion fixing their powerfulness guardant problems. There are immoderate hints that Simmons whitethorn privation to reunite with the squad that drafted him. Shelburne added that Simmons contacted Embiid to mend fences aft everything that went incorrect successful 2022.

The three-time All-Star whitethorn beryllium simply trying to close immoderate of his wrongs, but it’s not farfetched to suggest that he’s getting a caput commencement connected his imaginable comeback to the City of Brotherly Love.

It whitethorn not beryllium arsenic monumental arsenic LeBron James' instrumentality to Cleveland successful 2014, but it would beryllium a feel-good story.

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