Ben Simmons Is Plotting an NBA Return. He Has Two Teams in Mind.

Ben Simmons hasn’t played an NBA game since 2025. He’s been fishing, watching from home, and letting his body heal. But the three-time All-Star says he’s not done yet.

In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Simmons made it clear he’s planning to come back. He wants to get stronger, get on the floor, and let a team realize they need what he brings. “I don’t have a plan on where,” Simmons said. But he did name-drop a couple of places that would work for him.

“Miami would be nice,” he said. “And not because it’s Miami — I like Erik Spoelstra, I like the Heat, I like their organization, I like the culture.”

He also mentioned Philadelphia but let’s be real. That bridge is ash. The way his time with the 76ers ended was ugly. He stopped shooting, fans turned on him, and the whole thing blew up after that 2021 playoff series against Atlanta. He got traded to Brooklyn, injuries derailed him, and he hasn’t looked like the same player since.

Simmons is 30 now. That’s not old for a point forward with his defensive instincts and playmaking. But it’s also not young for a guy whose game never fully evolved. The question isn’t whether he can still pass and defend. It’s whether he can stay healthy and keep his head in the game.

He says there’s no pressure. “Nah, there’s no pressure,” Simmons told the magazine. “I had pressure when I was injured. People are gonna say the same thing every single time.”

Miami makes sense on paper. Spoelstra runs a system that hides weaknesses and maximizes versatility. Jimmy Butler isn’t getting younger, and the Heat could use another ball-handler who doesn’t need a ton of shots to impact winning. But would they actually take that gamble? Simmons hasn’t played competitive basketball in over a year. He’d need time to get back to game speed, and that’s assuming his back holds up.

Philadelphia is probably a non-starter. The fans in that building would let him hear it from the moment he stepped on the court. And the front office has moved on. They built around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Bringing Simmons back would be awkward at best, a PR disaster at worst.

Simmons doesn’t seem worried about any of that. He just wants a chance to prove people wrong. Whether any team gives him that chance remains the real story.