Ben Simmons is trying to return to the NBA, and his expected participation in a private Australian minicamp gives that attempt a credible next step.

Marc J. Spears reported for Andscape that Simmons is expected to participate without restrictions in a player-led minicamp in Melbourne. Simmons reportedly paid his own way, is open to a veteran-minimum contract and has attracted interest from multiple NBA teams. One unnamed Western Conference team has offered him a training-camp invitation.

Those details move the story beyond a workout video or a statement of intent. If Simmons participates as expected, the camp will allow him to test how he moves, defends and handles repeated work in a group basketball environment. The unresolved question is whether that progress can carry into an NBA camp and then survive the competition for a regular-season roster spot.

A training-camp invitation is an audition, not a comeback contract

NBA teams can carry as many as 21 players during the offseason and training camp, according to the league’s collective bargaining guide. They generally must reduce that group to 14 or 15 standard-contract players for the regular season, with as many as three additional two-way players.

A camp invitation would therefore give Simmons access to NBA practices, preseason games and team evaluation. It would not guarantee that he makes opening night.

For Simmons, that arrangement makes sense. He has not played an NBA game since the 2024-25 season, when he appeared in 51 games split between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 5.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 22 minutes per game. The passing remained useful, but his scoring volume and playing time were far below his All-Star years.

He then sat out the entire 2025-26 season. In a December interview with Andscape, Simmons said he had not felt physically prepared to give an NBA team the level of play he expected from himself. That history is why the expectation that he will participate without restrictions is encouraging but not conclusive.

What an NBA team would need to see

Simmons does not have to resemble the player who made three All-Star teams to justify a minimum contract. He does need to demonstrate a smaller, dependable role.

The clearest version would use his size and passing without treating him as a conventional scoring guard. He could push the ball after rebounds, initiate offense against second units, screen for smaller creators and make short-roll passes when defenses trap. Defensively, his path back depends on whether he can still move well enough to switch assignments, contain the ball and rebound outside his position.

That package comes with an obvious lineup cost. Simmons has never supplied normal perimeter spacing, and opponents became increasingly comfortable defending away from him in the half court. Playing him alongside a non-shooting center can crowd driving lanes and leave an offense with too few threats late in possessions.

A team evaluating him should consequently ask narrower questions than whether his former stardom can be recovered:

  • Can he defend multiple actions without losing mobility as his workload builds?
  • Can he create advantages without dominating the ball?
  • Will he screen, cut and finish decisively when defenders ignore him?
  • Can a lineup maintain enough shooting around him to make those strengths usable?
  • Can he remain available through camp and preseason rather than merely looking healthy in one workout setting?

The answer cannot come from reputation. It has to appear in live possessions.

Why the Australian minicamp matters

If Simmons participates as reported, the Melbourne camp will offer him a useful intermediate test. It should be more demanding than individual training but less consequential than competing for an NBA roster spot. Paying his own way also signals that he is actively seeking an opportunity rather than waiting for a guaranteed deal.

The camp should not be treated as independent medical confirmation or a formal NBA evaluation. The current assessments of Simmons’ health and athleticism come through reporting on him, his recent workouts and people around the minicamp. An NBA team would conduct its own examination and workload evaluation before relying on them.

His reported ambition to represent Australia at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is also separate from his NBA status. Participating in this camp could help rebuild a connection with Australian basketball, but it would not secure national-team selection.

The next evidence will be more important than the announcement

Simmons’ possible route back is straightforward: participate in the Melbourne minicamp as expected, accept an NBA camp opportunity, prove that his body tolerates the workload and win a specific rotation job.

The first firm checkpoint will be a team announcing an actual contract. After that, preseason availability and role will matter more than offseason reports. If Simmons is defending, creating transition chances and functioning away from the ball, a minimum deal could become a practical depth bet. If the same half-court and availability problems return, teams can move on without building their season around him.

For now, Simmons has a plausible path toward an NBA return. The decisive tests are still ahead.