Simmons' agent and 76ers are in talks to bring him back to Philadelphia / News - Basketnews.com

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The Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, have progressed in talks over recent days on a resolution to bring All-Star Ben Simmons back to Philadelphia in the near future, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Per the report, the plan remains for the Sixers to continue canvassing the league for trades, but the possibility of Simmons reporting to the team has increased in recent days.

Via Bobby Marks, with tonight's preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets, Simmons will top the $1M mark in loss of pay.

The 25-year-old's relationship with the franchise soured during the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The 76ers, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, lost to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games in the second round.

Simmons is a talented playmaker and defender, but his inability, or unwillingness, to take shots proved costly during the series with the Hawks.

He also drew criticism for his performance at the foul line. He made just 34.2 percent of his attempts (25 of 73) in 12 playoff games after shooting 61.3 percent during the regular season.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2016, Simmons has started all 275 games he has played in four NBA seasons, all with the 76ers. He owns career averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game.

Simmons has four years left on a five-year, $177.2 million max contract extension he signed in July 2019. His base salary for the 2021-22 season is $33 million, per Spotrac.

The Sixers open the regular season on October 20 at New Orleans.

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