Ben Simmons is a member of the Brooklyn Nets. His awful presence has left the great city of Philadelphia. It's a joyous day.
And Simmons seems pretty glad to have shipped up north, too: his agent Rich Paul says Simmons has already chatted with Nets superstar Kevin Durant about their future partnership, and Simmons is chatting about a return to the court.
Hmm. Interesting timing.
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READ: Source: Sixers acquire James Harden, deal Ben Simmons to Nets
The news comes from ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who described the initial convo between the new teammates:
It's not surprising that the two have already chatted; after all, Durant is rumored to basically be the shadow GM of the organization. He's the one who orchestrated the Nets' short-lived Big Three and he's the two-time champion and Hall of Fame lock.
And, if you've been paying attention, it's also not surprising that Simmons is already talking about ramping up to a return to the court.
NBA
Buzz about Simmons being able to play shortly after he joins a new team started circulating back in the second week of January. The Athletic's Sam Amick reported on Jan. 12, "the message has been sent that [Simmons] would be ready to play after a few weeks of intensified conditioning and court action."
This will probably be a point of frustration for Sixers fans, who just watched Simmons sit out 53 games because of what he and his team are describing as "mental health issues". The Sixers have fared well without Simmons, but his leaving Joel Embiid shorthanded for so long was particularly selfish.
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Back in January, I explored the question of whether you could really hound Simmons over the validity of his mental health claim:
"In November, [Rich] Paul turned things on the Sixers' front office and essentially attacked President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey for daring to fine Simmons as the 25-year-old opted not to return to play:
"'I truly believe the fines, the targeting, the negative publicity shined on the issue — that’s very unnecessary and has furthered the mental health issues for Ben,' Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said. 'Either you help Ben, or come out and say he’s lying. Which one is it?'
"It was an aggressive statement, but if Simmons was legitimately going through tough mental health issues, it would be right to let him deal with those on his own time and give him space.
"With this latest reporting from Amick, however, it seems Morey could turn around and ask Paul a similar question: Either Ben exaggerated his mental health issues because he doesn't want to play for the Sixers... or he would be ready to play for the Sixers after a few weeks of intensified conditioning and court action. Which one is it?
"The response would surely be that playing for the Sixers in particular is part of the aforementioned mental health issues, and that's probably true. Simmons is probably worried about the pressure and scrutiny that will come from Sixers fans (not to mention some of the inevitable awkwardness in practice and the locker room) if he were to make a return."
Once Simmons and his camp decided to go public with his mental health issues, there was never going to be a clear and clean resolution here. It'll probably be best if Sixers fans simply move on from the entire situation.
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But if Simmons isn't on the court March 10 when Brooklyn visits Philadelphia, and then is somehow able to play shortly after, you'd better believe Sixers fans are going to sound off on their now-former star.
We'll see what the rest of this season brings. It should be fascinating.