By Robert Marvi
Copyright newsweek
With just days to go before the start of training camps across the NBA, Ben Simmons remains a man without a team. The 6-foot-10 point guard played for the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers last season, and there has been minimal interest at best in him throughout this summer.Some have suggested that he may have to retire, but he has shot down that notion. Simmons, 29, averaged five points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 22 minutes a game this past season.Analyst Jake Weinbach feels the Atlanta Hawks could become a possible destination for Simmons, as the point guard could fill a need for them.”Following the Kobe Bufkin trade to the Nets, I’m curious to see if the Hawks will become a potential suitor for Ben Simmons,” Weinbach wrote on X.”Atlanta could use another ball-handler to lead the second unit and Simmons would fit nicely in that role as a versatile two-way playmaker off the bench.”Read more: Knicks Reportedly Considered Signing Free Agent Big ManSimmons has long been one of basketball’s biggest enigmas. He entered the NBA as the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, and people figured he had superstar potential due to his athleticism, size, open-court ability, passing and defense.While he made three All-Star teams and two All-Defensive first teams, he has never come close to realizing his full potential. He never developed the ability to hit shots outside the paint or the willingness to attempt such shots, and there have always been questions about his desire and motor.Many feel the Hawks have had the most successful offseason of any NBA team. They traded for oft-injured but ultra-skilled big man Kristaps Porzingis, and they also acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a gifted 3-and-D wing.Atlanta also brought in shooting guard Luka Kennard, who has been one of the game’s deadliest 3-point shooters over the last several years.While the team isn’t a true championship contender, the feeling is that it can do some real damage in the Eastern Conference.The Achilles tears that the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers suffered during the 2025 playoffs have made the race for the conference wide open this coming season.Read more: 76ers Were Interested in Bringing Back Former No 1 Overall Draft PickSimmons averaged over 14 points a game in each of his first four seasons in the pros. But over the last three years, he has failed to reach even seven points per contest, due in part to back problems that have limited him to 108 games during that time span.For more on the Hawks and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
