At this point of his career, it might be safe to say that Ben Simmons is an enigma. Fans might think he's already on the down-slope of his career, thanks to the injuries and missed games, but he is still 28 years old, which is the start of most players' prime athletic years. Still, it's also hard to say whether Simmons can still reach his All-Star peak, which is why fans hang on to his annual summer workout mixtapes to see where he is as a player. This offseason, his workout saw Ben Simmons reunited with a former teammate on the Philadelphia 76ers, Matisse Thybulle.
Check out this photo of both Thybulle and Simmons having a laugh during a joint workout session.
Can Ben Simmons still play with the Nets?
Additionally, the Brooklyn Nets have traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks, fully committing to a rebuild after a half-baked attempt to build a team around the former Phoenix Suns standout and salvage their assets from the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant trades. Despite all these moves, Simmons' situation with the team remains unclear.
Reports around the league have said that NBA teams don't want Ben Simmons, despite his relatively young age and enviable skillset. Likewise, he is on an expiring contract during 2024-2025, which will net him $40 million. Typically, expiring contracts are highly valuable trade assets for teams looking to dump salary in preparation for free agency.
It isn't like Simmons is a total bust, either. He still has his playmaking ability and at least a little of his defense, which should translate for any team willing to gamble on him.
Still, teams might hesitate to pick up a $40-million player who hasn't played more than 58 games since the 2018-2019 season. In his sporadic appearances for the Nets, he hasn't quite reached the same highs he had with the 76ers. Likewise, teams might not want to gamble on a former All-Star hampered by back injuries.
For instance, he only averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists in his 42 games during the 2022-2023 season. You wouldn't expect Simmons to score 25 points a game, even at his peak, but his rebounds and assists numbers are too low for someone with his skillset.
What happened?
Fans speculate that the breaking point was Simmons passing up a wide-open layup or dunk to win Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks took advantage of this terribly awful decision and won the game to advance to the Conference Finals against eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. Disagreements with coach Doc Rivers and the team eventually led to his painful divorce from the 76ers and his current career nosedive.
So, it's nice to see him working out with Matisse Thybulle. If Ben Simmons doesn't play again next season, then at least he still enjoyed himself with old friends over his summer workout.
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