The moment that Ben Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, the date encircled on the calendar was their March 10 trip to Philadelphia to face the 76ers. Seeing Ben Simmons come back to the venue of all his trauma with a hostile crowd watching is something ripped straight out of a WWE script.

However, signs have largely pointed to Ben Simmons missing the Nets' showdown against the Sixers and their former star in James Harden. With the latest report from premier NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, it looks like his absence for the contest could be considered conclusive.

“There is no chance he is playing in Philly on Thursday night,” said Woj of the Nets star during his appearance on NBA Countdown.

While Ben Simmons is going to be out for that contest, his return seems likely not too far off into the future. The sense of “urgency” is reportedly real in Brooklyn as they find themselves in a heated play-in positioning battle and just two games away from falling out entirely.

“There's tremendous urgency around the Nets to get Ben Simmons on the court. Get him incorporated and playing with this team. Ben Simmons is going to join them at some point. The Nets' hope is when Brooklyn gets back after Thursday's game in Philly that Simmons at that point will be ready to start getting on the floor with his teammates and increasing his workload. That back problem has been an issue for him since he's tried to start ramping up. He's essentially really just done individual work at his facility.”

The Brooklyn Nets are in a similar spot as the Los Angeles Lakers out West. They're dealing with injuries to star players and find themselves jockeying just to make the postseason with a play-in appearance all but guaranteed. However, if the Nets get healthy at the right time, they're the last team you want to face from the East's lower rung.