Ben Simmons has taken a major step towards playing his first match of the NBA season, returning to practice with his teammates after being kicked out last week.
The Simmons saga has taken a turn after the Australian was told to leave practice and fined for “conduct detrimental to the team” last week before a heart-to-heart with the coaching staff as well as his teammates seemed to mend fences in recent days.
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While no date has been set for the 25-year-old’s return to the court, it appears Sixers fans could see their No.25 running around at some point this season.
“We spoke with Doc Rivers today and he said that moment [Simmons] spoke on Friday, ‘That really broke the ice, that was a huge moment for this team’,” said TNT sideline reporter Allie LaForce prior to the Sixers’ clash against the New York Knicks today (AEDT).
“I was also told that he has worked out at the facility in Camden with the team as recent as this morning.
“Members of the front office as well as the organisation confirmed with me he is receiving professional help for his mental health through the players’ union [and] he is also undergoing regular treatment on his back, which he expressed concerns about last week.”
LaForce also indicated that there was no Simmons trade that was imminent, despite the Australia’s request for the Sixers to move him four months ago.
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“A member of the front office also told me they will continue to pay him as long as he is working on mentally and physically getting better and they said, ‘It’s not about the money for us, it’s about winning a title. We want to win and he’s a really good player’,” she said.
“The only way they’re going to deal him [in a trade] is if the team gets better and there’s just not a lot of scenarios where that makes sense right now.”