Ben Simmons, who hasn’t played for over a year in the NBA, is reportedly angling for a return. The three-time All-Star thought about signing for a team heading into the 2025-26 campaign before deciding to sit out the season to heal his body.
With the Australian attempting a comeback, Rich Paul, Simmons’ former agent, is giving the former Philadelphia 76ers star his vote of confidence.
Rich Paul Makes Bold Ben Simmons Claim as NBA Comeback Gains Momentum
The No. 1 pick of the 2016 NBA Draft was seemingly poised to have a Hall of Fame career before a crucial play against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference semis torpedoed that projection.
After passing up on an open dunk late in the fourth quarter, the 6-foot-10 point-forward was never the same again.
In the season following that controversial play, Simmons forced his way out of Philly by sitting out games before he was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets. The holdout and a back injury kept him out of action during the 2021-22 season.
In his first two years in Brooklyn, Simmons played just 57 games due to the same nagging injury, compounded by knee troubles and mental health issues. He started the 2024-25 campaign, playing 33 games for the Nets before the team bought out his contract. Simmons promptly signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, who limited him to 16.4 minutes in 18 games.
Despite everything, Paul sees a version of Simmons who will be valuable to teams.
“I remember having a conversation, me and Ben talking. … I said, ‘Ben, you got so much left in the tank, bro, so much left in the tank. If you just become a pick-and-roll 5 at the end of games, because your playmaking ability makes you a different rolling big.’ … We know what the defense was, first team All-Defense.”
“‘If you could just become that where you’re rolling down the lane, dunk, you’re a $30 million player. Just become that!’” Paul said on the “Game Over” podcast with Max Kellerman.
Rich Paul says he told Ben Simmons he could still be a $30,000,000 NBA player
“I remember having a conversation, me and Ben talking. I said, ‘Ben, you got so much left in the tank, bro. If you just become a pick and roll five at the end of games, because your playmaking ability… pic.twitter.com/ptI25u3wI3
— dank (@cptdankkk) July 5, 2026
Simmons’ most lucrative stretch in the NBA happened after Paul negotiated the versatile forward’s five-year, $170 million extension in 2019. The then-76ers franchise cornerstone averaged over $30 million per season.
Philly gave that amount to a player, who relished running the offense, defending the opposing team’s best player, finishing fast break attacks, and jostling in the paint when needed.
This version of Simmons, who Paul projected to earn $30 million in his potential comeback, is seven years removed from his glory days.
Based on how the Klutch Sports Group founder envisioned the forward to play, the amount might be a stretch.
The soon-to-be-30-year-old former star seems to have lost his confidence in his last few seasons. In some of his games, he wouldn’t even pretend to be interested in scoring. A purely pick-and-roll 5, who is all too willing to give up the ball, becomes predictable.
In an interview with Men’s Health late last month, Simmons said he does not have a plan for which team he will play for. He mentioned the 76ers and the Miami Heat as potential destinations, teams that can’t afford to pay him anywhere near Paul’s projected amount.
If no team shows interest in signing him, Paul’s vote of confidence about what Simmons could get in his return might turn out to be irrelevant.
