Report: Sixers, Ben Simmons ‘have progressed’ on potential return to team

With the Philadelphia 76ers halfway through their preseason slate and nine days out from their regular season debut, the chances that Ben Simmons soon joins them have increased. According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski Monday morning, “Sixers officials and Klutch CEO Rich Paul have progressed in talks over recent days on a resolution to bring ... Simmons back to Philadelphia in the near future.”

Wojnarowski later added that Simmons could report to the team “as soon as this week.”

Soon after Wojnarowski’s report, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweeted out similar news, noting, “the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, have been working around the clock over the last few days on a resolution to have the three-time All-Star return to market.”

The timeline of this news is somewhat vague. “Near future” doesn’t provide specificity. But these reports are a stark deviation from the stance that Simmons and his representation have previously maintained that he’s determined to hold out until a trade occurs and is willing to do so all year if necessary.

However, following the news from Wojnarowski and Charania, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “even if Simmons comes back to Philadelphia, a league source told The Inquirer recently that Simmons still doesn’t intend to play a game.”