NBA Insider says there were ‘overtures’ between Ben Simmons and the Sixers after Nets buyout and once again, I’m demanding to ‘Complete The Process’

Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers. A match made in heaven. Just saying it out loud is enough to make half the city groan and the other half start sharpening their pitchforks.

The former No. 1 overall pick was supposed to be the crown jewel of The Process, a three-time All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and Joel Embiid’s running mate for a decade. Instead, it all went sideways. He passed up that dunk, clashed with the city, forced his way out, and became a walking meme in the process.

But according to NBA Insider Jake Fischer, there were “overtures” between Simmons and the Sixers after his buyout from Brooklyn last season. Nothing came of it, but the fact it even flickered on the radar has people talking.

“Overtures” between Ben Simmons and the Sixers after Nets buyout…?

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— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 8, 2025

“He still has some friends in the area. I believe his brother was living in Philadelphia for a time, and there was some interest from Philadelphia at that point in time,” Fischer said on his stream. “I can’t say I have any updated information on the Sixers’ interest in Ben Simmons there.”

Since leaving the Sixers in an ugly 2021-22 split, Simmons has bounced around like a ghost of what he used to be. After he resurfaced with the Clippers, Simmons averaged a pedestrian 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 17 games.

Retirement rumors even started to float around in August…

Ben Simmons coming back to Philly is the full-circle ending this team has been waiting for. His career since leaving the Sixers has been a mess. Stints with the Nets and Clippers, rumors of retirement, stat lines that barely registered. He hasn’t found that spark anywhere else.

At his peak, Ben Simmons was a 16-8-8 machine with All-NBA defense. Philly fans wanted so badly for him to be the guy. After everything that went down, a way back home seemed like a Liberty Line fever dream, but maybe, there is a way back.

If it was ever going to happen, wouldn’t it be in Philadelphia? Wouldn’t it be with the city that booed him, broke him, and let’s be honest… made him?

It wouldn’t be clean. It wouldn’t be smooth but there would finally be light at the end of The Process. The whole saga started messy, so why would it end any other way?

Ben Simmons coming back would give fans something wild to believe in again. Not because anyone’s expecting him to put up 20-10-10, but because it would finally close the book on the strangest era in Sixers history.

The Process was never supposed to end quietly. It was supposed to end with a parade down Broad Street, with all the drama, chaos, and a storybook ending that people talk about for decades.

Would it work on the court? Who cares. It’s not like the Sixers are a beacon of hope in the city anymore. If anything, they have fast-tracked a fall from grace that would rival any organization in professional sports history.

Bringing Ben Simmons back would give this team hope and maybe, that’s all the Sixers really need at this point.

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