Ben Simmons NBA Comeback: Heat and 76ers Reportedly Top Landing Spots for Former All-Star
Ben Simmons is planning an NBA comeback, and he already has a shortlist.
In a feature with Men’s Health magazine, the 29-year-old former Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star shared that he is targeting a return to the league for the 2026-27 season. He named two teams specifically: the Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers, his former club.
“Maybe I’ll go back to Philly,” Simmons said. “Miami would be nice. And not because it’s Miami. I like coach Erik Spoelstra, I like the Heat, I like their organization, I like the culture.”
This is a Ben Simmons comeback story that a lot of people never expected. He went unsigned for the entire 2025-26 season after his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers expired. He was reportedly dealing with lingering back and knee issues that limited his effectiveness across his last three years in the league. The odds of a return got longer with every month he spent on the sidelines.
Now he is saying he feels good. He is training. He wants back in.
The bigger question is whether either of the teams he named is actually interested. There is no reporting yet from the Heat or the 76ers indicating mutual interest. Miami just acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo in a franchise-altering trade and is completely restructuring its rotation around him. Philadelphia is in a weird spot with Joel Embiid’s health and Tyrese Maxey’s development.
Both fits have logic. Miami loves defense-first players who can guard multiple positions. Simmons at his best was one of the best playmaking defenders in the league, a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate multiple times. If he is healthy, he can guard four positions and initiate offense in transition.
Philadelphia is the more complicated fit. Simmons famously forced his way out of the 76ers in 2021 after the playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks and a series of very public conflicts with the organization. That is not water under the bridge. The way he handled his exit created lasting damage with parts of the fan base, and Embiid was openly critical of him.
Simmons has said he has moved on from that period. He has spoken generously about Philadelphia fans in recent interviews. Whether the front office has moved on is a different question, but stranger things have happened in the NBA.
Money will not be the issue. Simmons has made over $200 million in his career and can afford to sign a minimum contract to prove he still has something left. That is exactly the kind of deal both Miami and Philadelphia would be open to if they had any interest at all.
The talent, when healthy, is not in question. Simmons at 25 was making All-NBA teams. At 29, he is a versatile 6-foot-11 playmaker with real defensive value if his body cooperates. If a team can get 50 to 60 games out of him in a limited role, he can help them.
The comeback might not happen. Or it might happen with a team he did not name. But Ben Simmons is telling the world he is back, and someone will listen.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
