Ben Simmons is not giving up on his dream to make it back to the NBA after a few injury-riddled seasons saw him decide to take the 2025-26 off to recuperate even further. And now, Simmons is drawing some interest from teams in free agency, and they’re about to get a closer look at the 30-year-old’s condition as he prepares to take the next step in his plan to return to professional basketball.
According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Simmons “is expected to be a full participant with ‘zeros restrictions’” in the Australia men’s national team mini-camp in Melbourne which starts tomorrow. As per Spears, Simmons “paid his own way to the camp”, with the hopes of showing off his improved health as well as to try and compete for a roster spot on the national team.
The 30-year-old, most famously known for his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, reportedly has several NBA teams interested in his services. Spears even specified that one West squad had already offered a training camp invite.
Simmons hasn’t yet represented Australia in a senior international game after he withdrew from the national team during the 2019 FIBA World Cup and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. It’s not quite clear how much interest there is from the Australian brass to call on the 30-year-old guard who is dealing with plenty of uncertainty regarding his health.
However, if Simmons flashes the defense and playmaking that made him an All-Star during his heyday, perhaps he could earn himself a call-up for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The 30-year-old’s career has been derailed by injuries ever since the 2021 NBA playoffs. Ever since that pass heard ’round the world in Game 7 of the second round of that year’s playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks, Simmons has only played in 108 games and hasn’t quite been the same impactful player he was for the first four years of his career.
Perhaps this is the start of a career revival for Simmons, who possesses so much upside on the free agent market.
Ben Simmons is not giving up on his dream to make it back to the NBA after a few injury-riddled seasons saw him decide to take the 2025-26 off to recuperate even further. And now, Simmons is drawing some interest from teams in free agency, and they’re about to get a closer look at the 30-year-old’s condition as he prepares to take the next step in his plan to return to professional basketball.