Free-agent guard Ben Simmons indicated Monday that he isn’t yet ready to call it quits when it comes to his NBA career.
Responding to a comment on his latest Instagram post about whether he is retired, Simmons simply responded, “No.”
Simmons, 29, is among the highest-profile unrestricted free agents who have yet to sign with a team despite the NBA regular season being set to begin next month.
Earlier this month, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported that Simmons was “questioning” whether he wanted to continue playing, leaving many to wonder if he would abandon free agency and ride off into retirement.
While the 2016 No. 1 overall draft pick has been unable to land a big contract in free agency thus far, he reportedly has generated at least some interest.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Simmons received a one-year, minimum offer from the New York Knicks, who are unable to offer anything more than that at this juncture. Simmons reportedly rejected the offer.
Stein also reported that the Boston Celtics have shown some interest in the three-time All-Star and two-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection.
However, with Simmons reportedly hoping to secure a contract above the minimum, his options may be limited.
The Aussie entered the NBA under the pressure of needing to be a franchise player for the Philadelphia 76ers, and early on, it looked as though he could be precisely that.
After missing his entire first season with a foot injury, Simmons bounced back to play in 81 games in 2017-18 and 79 games the following season.
Simmons was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018, and he followed that up with three consecutive All-Star selections in Philly.
Over his four seasons with the Sixers, Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 56.0 percent from the field. However, he never developed the ability to shoot from deep or the charity stripe, shooting 14.7 percent from beyond the arc and 59.7 percent from the free-throw line.
After holding out into the start of the 2021-22 season, Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, but he ended up missing the entire season even after the trade due to a back injury.
In three seasons since then, Simmons has only played in 108 out of a possible 246 games, as he has been ravaged by injuries.
Splitting last season between the Nets and Los Angeles Clippers, Simmons averaged just 5.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds, but his 51 games played were his most since the 2020-21 season.
While it was a far cry from the production he delivered earlier in his career, Simmons showed he can still potentially be an important contributor off the bench should he land in a decent situation.
