Ben Simmons and the 76ers were “working on a resolution” on Monday, bringing the three-time All-Star back to the team and ending his holdout before the regular season began.
Simmons had been certain that he was done in Philly, but when the reality of losing out on game checks and being fined set in, he came to realize that a trade wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, and he was about to lose a lot of money with no way to get it back. While reports suggested the two sides were making progress in negotiations, nothing seemed imminent with the Sixers set to host the Nets for preseason action on Monday night. However, Simmons apparently arrived in town in the middle of the game to take a COVID-19 test and enter himself into the necessary league protocols to return to the team.
Many people were surprised, including the Sixers, who had no idea Simmons was going to show up in Philly on Monday night until he walked up for his test, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
It would be hilarious if Simmons simply rolled up, George Costanza-style, and jumped right back in, as if none of the drama of the previous six months had ever occurred. That seems improbable, given that part of the talks between the two sides has apparently been on whether or not the star will play once he returns to the squad. Still, Simmons has returned to town for the time being, and the story is only going to get wilder from here.
