Former Sixers Star Ben Simmons is on Pace to Make Nets Debut Soon

This past offseason, three-time All-Star Ben Simmons requested a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers following a disappointing playoff run. While the Sixers scanned the market for a possible trade, they couldn't find a deal worth making.

A couple of months later, the Sixers attempted to convince Simmons to stay on board. Unfortunately for them at the time, Simmons wasn't willing to budge.

The star guard made it clear he would skip training camp and the preseason and he stayed true to his word. Although Simmons eventually reported to the Sixers ahead of the regular season, he told the team he wasn't mentally ready to return to the court.

Therefore, Simmons stayed off the court beyond the team's practice facility. For over 50 games, Simmons was absent for the Sixers. As the trade deadline approached, it was reported that Simmons was willing to sit out the entire season if the Sixers failed to find a trade partner.

Fortunately for both parties, it didn't get to that point. The Sixers and the Brooklyn Nets struck a blockbuster deal, which swapped two disgruntled stars in Simmons and James Harden.

While Simmons was moved as desired, he didn't return to the court right away. Considering he hasn’t played in a game since last summer, Simmons needed a couple of weeks to ramp up action. While he worked on getting in game shape, the three-time All-Star suffered a back injury. As it turned out, Simmons missed the entire regular season anyway.

At this point, Simmons has yet to make his Nets debut as his team is now one game into their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, but if all goes well over the next few days, he’ll take the court finally.

Based on Ben Simmons’ progress in practices this week – and the anticipation of him further accelerating in the coming days – Game 4 vs. Boston on Monday is looming as a realistic target for his Brooklyn debut, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2022

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that based on Simmons’ progress in practice this week, Game 4 between the Nets and the Celtics is a “realistic target” for Simmons to return to the court and make his Nets debut. If that’s the case, Monday, April 25, would become Simmons’ target date to return.

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