The 2023-24 NBA season is still months away from us, but for many reasons, a number of teams and players are already looking forward to it. Ben Simmons, for instance, can’t wait to return to the floor with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Australian’s performance have been on decline in the last couple of seasons, which is why he’s going into the new year hoping to get back to his best. Back in the day, Simons made the All-Star game on three occasions.

Nothing has been the same for him since the moment he decided to leave the Philadelphia 76ers, where he went through very difficult months before finally being traded. Even so, Simmons has great memories of his time in the City of Brotherly Love, which would be his favorite landing spot in a hypothetical trade.

Ben Simmons says 76ers would be his preferred trade destination

I had a lot of fun there. It was time for me to go. When I did leave, it was good timing,” Simmons told Marc Spears of Andscape about his time in Philadelphia. “Obviously, the injury and everything that was going on didn’t help. But I think it gave me a chance to really appreciate it.

“I’ll always have love for Philly. People always ask me like, ‘If you were to get traded again where you want it to be?’ I always say, ‘Just Philly. Philly is a second home to me.’ And in time, you learn and grow as people. I don’t really have anything bad to say about Philly. It was a crazy situation at the end, but it is what it is.”

When did Ben Simmons get drafted?

Ben Simmons was selected with the first overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft.

What’s Ben Simmons’ contract?

Ben Simmons is in the fourth season of a five-year, $177 million contract.