76ers Rival Report: Will Ben Simmons Play for Nets Again?

If the playoffs started today, the 76ers would face the Nets. If the matchup comes to life, will Ben Simmons be a part of it?

The Brooklyn Nets’ 2022-2023 season has been full of drama. From multiple stars wanting out to the head coach getting fired earlier in the year, the last thing Brooklyn needed was to find out that the three-time All-Star Ben Simmons wasn’t going to pan out after the franchise traded away a future Hall of Famer for his services.

Last year, the Nets acquired Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers by dishing out a disgruntled James Harden. The move went from being viewed as a win-win scenario for each team to looking like a lopsided deal in favor of Philly as each day passes.

This year, Harden is back on track as he’s averaging over 20 points per game while knocking down 40 percent of his threes. He also leads the league with 10.8 assists per game.

Meanwhile, Simmons hasn’t carved out a consistent role for himself in Brooklyn. When the Nets still had the stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on board, they were expected to complement Simmons’ game. Not only did Simmons struggle to have an impact playing alongside those guys, but they are gone, and the former All-Star can’t get on the floor to build chemistry with his new teammates.

All season long, Simmons has battled knee and back concerns. The last time Simmons took the court was on February 15 in a matchup against the Miami Heat. He’s missed the last 12 matchups for Brooklyn, and his return isn’t anywhere in sight.

As the Nets prepared to take on the Sacramento Kings Thursday night, Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn issued an update, according to the New York Post.

“There is zero discussion about him not playing. We expect him to be back, we’re waiting for him to be back. ...

"He’s just trying to get to a place where he feels good and he feels good back on the court, and get to a place where he’s not having soreness or inflammation and he’s ready to hoop,’’ Vaughn said. “We want him back to hoop, he wants to be back to hoop, and that is definitely the goal.”

With just 12 games left to go before playoffs, there is a real possibility Simmons’ regular season run is over. While Vaughn and the Nets won’t conclude with shutting Simmons down for the remainder of the regular season, there also isn’t a plan for his return in the works.

The Nets could end up becoming a playoff opponent for Philadelphia. If the season were to end today, the two teams would meet in the first round. 

Considering Simmons has yet to play with the new-look Nets, it’s unclear how much his presence could affect Brooklyn for better or for worse at this time.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.