Looking back a few months, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves in a predicament no franchise wants to find themselves in. One of their young cornerstones was no longer happy with his situation and had sights set on a change of scenery. All summer, the talk around the basketball community debated on where Ben Simmons might end up after formally requesting a trade from the Sixers.

Despite multiple interested teams and countless reports of the former number one pick being unhappy, Daryl Morey held his ground. Now in the early days of the regular season, Simmons remains on the Sixers' roster.

While things certainly got ugly during this stalemate between player and organization, they have slowly made steps to repair the relationship. The first step came in the preseason when Simmons ended his holdout and reported to Philadelphia out of the blue.

While the three-time All-Star did finally join the team, the battle was far from over. His engagement with the team was lackluster at best and even had him kicked out of practice by Doc Rivers and later suspended for the season opener against the Pelicans.

The first major breakthrough in this saga came last Friday when Simmons addressed the team during shoot-around prior to their matchup with the Nets. Simmons admitted he still wasn't ready mentally to join the Sixers on the court but finally made the effort to speak to them.

In the latest update regarding the Sixers, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported the Sixers have stopped fining Simmons. A minor detail, but something that could prove to be impactful as he slowly works towards potentially suiting up for the Sixers again.

Philly President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey was on the pregame show before Sunday's matchup against the Thunder and also gave a positive update regarding Simmons.

“Things seem to be moving very much in a positive direction. We're going to provide all the resources to give Ben [Simmons] what he needs and get him out there as soon as we can,” said Morey.

A lot of work still needs to be done, but it continues to look like the Sixers will be rewarded for their patience. There's no telling if Simmons will change his mind on wanting to be traded, but the reality continues to grow that he will play in games while Morey seeks a proper return.

Multiple factors can be attributed to the slow repair of this relationship, but the manner in which the rest of the team has conducted themselves sits atop the list. An off-the-court fallout of this caliber might have broken most locker rooms, but not the Sixers. Led by Rivers, Joel Embiid, and Tobias Harris, the group has stood united and continue to support their teammate in any way possible.

After many speculating that Simmons will never don a Sixers' uniform again, we might be witnessing the beginning of a change of heart. Who knows, maybe time does heal all wounds. It will be very interesting to see how this situation plays out, but there's certainly a reason for optimism moving forward.