PHILADELPHIA (Audacy) — It almost feels too surreal to say, but Ben Simmons is back in Philadelphia.
According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who reported earlier in the day that Simmons and agent Rich Paul had "progressed in talks" to bring the polarizing guard back to Philly, Simmons is back in Philadelphia and took a COVID-19 test.
This does not mean a return is imminent, as Wojnarowski notes, but the team is "hopeful" they can begin the next steps of a return.
Just minutes before the news from Wojnarowski broke, fans at the Sixers' preseason contest against the Nets were reportedly chanting "(expletive) Ben Simmons" throughout Wells Fargo Center (via Adam Aaronson).
Head coach Doc Rivers has emphasized that the team has wanted Simmons to return for his fifth season of action, though the bulk of speculation was that this wouldn't be the case, especially after a report that he "has no plans to wear an NBA uniform again until he is moved to a new team," per Wojnarowski in late September.
Simmons had been the main story of the offseason not only for the 76ers, but for many teams throughout the NBA.
