Ben Simmons is eyeing a return to the NBA after last playing for the L.A Clippers in the 2024-25 season, and the Golden State Warriors could be in the perfect spot to take a gamble on the former Philadelphia 76ers star.
According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears on Sunday, Simmons is joining a mini-camp for the Australian national team in Melbourne as part of his push for a return to the league. Spears also reports that multiple teams are interested in the 30-year-old, including a team in the Western Conference who’ve already offered a training camp spot.
Ben Simmons report swings door open for Warriors to take a gamble
While there’s no confirmation that it’s the Warriors offering a training camp spot, it could theoretically be them given they’ve got two available roster spots after failing to sign a single rival player through nearly six weeks of free agency.
The Warriors could sign a player like Kelly Olynyk or Georges Niang to the 14th spot, then still have a training camp battle that may feature Simmons if he can’t get a guaranteed minimum contract with Golden State or elsewhere.
NBA free agent forward Ben Simmons is expected to be a full participant with “zeros restrictions” in a player-led Aussie men’s national team mini-camp in Melbourne beginning Monday, sources to @andscape. Simmons took last season off in hopes of completely healing from injuries.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 10, 2026
Given they’re in no-man’s land as a veteran team outside the championship picture, Golden State really have nothing to lose by taking a flyer on Simmons and hoping that he could rediscover even part of what made him one of the league’s biggest rising stars late last decade.
The Warriors were linked to Simmons after his requested move from the 76ers back in 2021, with owner Joe Lacob even fined $50,00 for comments he made in regard to a potential Simmons trade that the league deemed violated its anti-tampering rules.
Ben Simmons is worth a risk for the Warriors
Golden State will be thankful they didn’t trade for Simmons five years ago given how his career has panned out since, having failed at the Brooklyn Nets before briefly landing with the Clippers following a buyout 18 months ago.
But Simmons comes with little risk this time around, albeit it would be interesting to see how a couple of his previous teammates, Jimmy Butler and Al Horford, would think about such a move as the Warriors still eye a return to the playoffs.
Spears reports that per Arizona State and Australian national team assistant David Patrick, Simmons has regained some of the athleticism that once had him compared to LeBron James. That’s a trait that could prove helpful on an otherwise old and slow Warrior team, along with the ball-handling, playmaking, defense and rebounding that made Simmons a Rookie of the Year, All-NBA Third Team Selection, and a second-place finisher in Defensive Player of the Year before his career collapsed.
