Ben Simmons says he’s back and rumors are swirling that he could be joining the Philadelphia 76ers

The Ben Simmons rumors are swirling again, and I’m not going to pretend I’m playing it cool, because I’m not.

Social media lit up this week with talk that the Philadelphia 76ers might be interested in a reunion with Ben Simmons, with the latest “source” being a little-known basketball outlet in Spain claiming the Sixers are considering a one-year veteran’s minimum deal for Simmons.

Look, I have absolutely no idea who this person reporting it is or how legit the sourcing is but I know how I feel about it, and how I feel is that I need this to happen.

Ben Simmons in Instagram. He’s Ready.

Ben Simmons new IG story 🥴 pic.twitter.com/rf6PhejRHq

— Cooper DeJAWN 🦅 (@CooperDeJawn3) August 4, 2026

The Basketball Fit Makes Complete Sense

Whatever you think about the way Ben Simmons’ first tenure in Philadelphia ended, and I know the trade-request-and-holdout saga in 2022 left scars, the on-court fit here is genuinely perfect.

I’ve been banging this drum for a while now. Rich Paul, who happens to also be LeBron’s agent, already floated the idea of Ben Simmons reinventing himself as a center and working in the post, and regardless of how you feel about the guy, that vision makes a ton of sense.

Rich Paul thinks Ben Simmons should transition to center and ironically enough, that’s exactly what the Sixers need behind Joel Embiid >>

Don’t get emotional. Just think about it. Ben Simmons is big enough to handle the backup center duties behind Joel Embiid, which happens to be one of the Sixers’ biggest roster holes.

He’s an elite defender who can guard multiple positions. He’s a phenomenal facilitator who can run an offense as a connector and he loves to push the pace, exactly like LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey.

A rolling, defending, playmaking backup big who doesn’t need touches to be effective is precisely what this roster is missing, and Ben Simmons checks every one of those boxes.

On a team loaded with LeBron, Embiid, Maxey, Jaylen Brown, and Edgecombe, he’d be a low-usage role player with zero pressure to score, which is the ideal environment for the best version of Ben Simmons to actually exist.

The Cap Situation Is Solvable

You can miss me with the argument that the Sixers don’t have enough room under the first apron to sign anyone right now.

That’s irrelevant. They CAN clear the room.

A veteran’s minimum for Ben Simmons, who has nine years of service, would run roughly $3.5 million, and the Sixers can create the space by waiving Jabari Walker, who’s only guaranteed $250,000.

Philadelphia already has an open roster spot, so a little reshuffling gets it done. This isn’t some impossible financial puzzle. It’s a couple of routine moves away from being completely doable and after adding LeBron, the Sixers could genuinely use another ball-handler and defender, which is exactly what Ben Simmons brings.

Complete the Process

Here’s the part that matters most to me, and if you’ve been reading The Liberty Line over the years, you already know where I stand on this. Bringing Ben Simmons back would truly complete The Process and restore order to the realm of Sixers basketball once and for all.

Ben Simmons is one of us. He hated the previous Sixers organization and guess what? We all did. I won’t go as far as saying he was right but you can’t argue with his frustrations.

Not to mention, Simmons was there for the tanking. He was there for the suffering, the blown leads, the heartbreak. The whole thing ended in the ugliest way imaginable with the passed-up dunk in Game 7 and the holdout, and it left this franchise and this fanbase with a wound that never fully healed.

Bringing him back now, as a role player chasing a ring on a LeBron-Embiid contender, would be the perfect full-circle ending to the entire era. The redemption arc writes itself, and it’s the kind of story that makes sports worth caring about.

Jeff Teague on Ben Simmons

jeff teague speaks on 76ers' reported interest in bringing ben simmons back:

“y’all think philly will accept him back? i lowkey want him to go back to the sixers now. they lowkey need to make that happen, if rich can make that happen because what you did for gary trent is…

— the aesthetic (@theaestheticnba) August 4, 2026

Ben Simmons deserves this, we do too

Now 30 years old, Ben Simmons is a three-time All-Star, two-time All-Defensive, and one-time All-NBA player who went unsigned all of last season, and he did say recently that he’s now open to a return.

Nobody knows what version of him shows up after that much time off but on a minimum deal, with zero pressure, in a perfect role, it’s a low-risk swing worth taking every single day of the week.

So let’s hope these rumors are true. I have no idea who’s reporting it, I don’t know if the Spanish outlet has any real sourcing, and I’m fully aware I might be setting myself up for disappointment.

I don’t care. Bring Ben Simmons home. Put him at backup center next to LeBron and Embiid. Let him get the ring he deserves after everything, and let this fanbase finally close the book on The Process the right way.

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