It looked like Ben Simmons’ days as an NBA player were numbered. After missing the entire 2021-2022 season with a back injury following his trade from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Brooklyn Nets, Simmons returned to play only 43 games during the 2022-23 season and just 15 games during the 2023-24 campaign last year.

There were plenty of times when Ben Simmons’ colossal disappointment of a Nets tenure seemed as if it could be over: back in March 2023, when a nerve impingement in his back and knee problems led to him being shut down; one year later, when his season ended again due to a nerve impingement.

The Brooklyn Nets and representatives of Ben Simmons are negotiating a buyout of his $US40 million NBA contract.