Ben Simmons calls Philly ‘a second home’ and says he’d welcome a trade to Sixers

Ben Simmons didn’t part with the Sixers two years ago on the best of terms, following a months-long saga where Simmons refused to report to training camp and held out for almost the entire season while demanding a trade.

But now Simmons says he wouldn’t mind a reunion.

In a recent interview with Andscape, a website owned by ESPN, Simmons said if he were to be traded again, he’d want it to be to Philly.

“I had a lot of fun there. It was time for me to go. When I did leave, it was good timing. Obviously, the injury and everything that was going on didn’t help. But I think it gave me a chance to really appreciate it,” Simmons said. “I’ll always have love for Philly. People always ask me like, ‘If you were to get traded again where you want it to be?’ I always say, ‘Just Philly. Philly is a second home to me.’ And in time, you learn and grow as people.

“I don’t really have anything bad to say about Philly. It was a crazy situation at the end, but it is what it is.”

Simmons, who underwent back surgery in May 2022 to repair a herniated disk after being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, played in 42 games last season. He told Andscape that he believes he’ll be ready for the start of the NBA season this year. While he’s not playing in the FIBA World Cup, he intends to play for Australia in the 2024 Olympics.

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Simmons said that his back issues originally began in Philadelphia, during a Feb. 22, 2020 game against the Milwaukee Bucks. While the NBA’s break from games and subsequent COVID-19 bubble gave him an opportunity to rehab the injury, the issues flared up again right before he was traded to Brooklyn, when he was walking up the stairs.

While he called Philly “a second home,” Simmons was clear that he has no problems with the Nets.

“I love Brooklyn. I don’t have an issue with Brooklyn. For me, I want to get healthy,” he said.

Simmons even touched upon that 2021 Eastern Conference semifinal Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks that marked a watershed moment in his relationship with the team. With just over three minutes remaining and the Sixers down by two points, Simmons passed up an open dunk to pass to Matisse Thybulle, who was fouled. Thybulle made one of two free throws. The Sixers went on to lose 103-96.

Doc Rivers was asked after the loss if he thought Simmons could be a point guard on a championship-winning team, to which he said, “I don’t know the answer to that.” Joel Embiid also cited Simmons’ missed opportunity as a turning point in the game.

“I don’t even remember that game anymore,” Simmons told Andscape. “To me, I made a play. I gave it to somebody who’s probably going to shoot better from the free throw at that moment of the game. It didn’t work, but I made a play. People make hundreds of plays throughout the year. They’re not always going to be the right play at the right time, but it was a play.

“But that wasn’t the factor of the game. You can go back and look at different things within the game where it could’ve been better. For me, shooting the free throws was one of them, but it didn’t happen. So, that’s just something you just keep working [on].”

Read Simmons’ full Q&A here.