Ben Simmons Prepares NBA Comeback

Ben Simmons is making moves toward an NBA return. After sitting out the 2025/26 season to focus on recovering his body, the Australian point guard is now working with his national team and looking to prove he still has a place in the league.

According to Marc J. Spears, there are already franchises that have shown interest in his situation. He has even received a proposal to participate in a team's training camp, though Simmons is currently focused on Australia and testing the extent of his recovery.

The case continues to generate doubts, and understandably so. For years there have been repeated messages about his physical improvement, his return to peak form, and his regaining confidence, but injuries and lack of continuity have gradually moved him further away from the player who was an All-Star, elite defender, and one of the NBA's most unique profiles.

Now the context is different. Simmons is no longer returning as a star or as a centerpiece around which to build. If he returns, it will likely be through a training camp contract, a minimum deal, or an opportunity without many guarantees. He will have to earn his spot again through defense, passing, physicality, and his ability to contribute without needing to score much.

The player insists he is in his best shape in years, and those around him point out that he has recovered some of his athletic ability. The Australian national team will be his first real test. There he will be able to compete without restrictions and measure whether this year off has served for more than just prolonging the wait.

Simmons also has a mid-term goal: to be with Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. To get there, he needs to play again, have continuity, and convince an NBA team that he can still be useful.

The question is no longer whether Ben Simmons can be the player he once was. That chapter is behind him. The question is whether he can still be a rotation player in the NBA. And that answer will start to take shape now, away from the noise and on the court.