Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis has provided a glimmer of hope Ben Simmons may yet be available for Australia's World Cup campaign, saying the Philadelphia 76ers star continues to engage with team officials.
Simmons was thought to be the only Australian NBA star to not make himself available for the tournament in China, which begins on August 31 in 2019, due to contractual commitments with the 76ers.
But he could still don the green and gold alongside fellow NBA stars Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and Dante Exum, and Sydney Kings centre Andrew Bogut, after Lemanis revealed discussions with Simmons continued to be positive.
"It's something that you probably need to ask directly of him, but certainly in his dialogue with us he's keen to make himself available, [to] play for Australia," Lemanis told Macquarie Sports Radio when asked about the chance of Simmons playing in China.
"He does have a few things going on in this offseason, so we'll sort of just work through those.
"The dialogue is good, it's strong; the door is open and when he's ready to walk through it, we'll welcome him with open arms."
Earlier this month it was revealed that Simmons would be prioritising his contract renewal with Philadelphia during the NBA offseason, a five-year deal that could be worth up to $223 million.
Playing alongside bona-fide NBA stars Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler, Simmons and the Sixers improved to 21-12 for the season with a 131-109 victory over New York Knicks on Wednesday night [EST].
Simmons picked up his second triple-double in three games in the 22-point win, snapping a disappointing run for the Sixers who had lost three of their last four.
But the story wasn't as rosy for compatriot Aron Baynes after the Boston centre broke his hand in the Celtics' shock 111-103 loss to Phoenix. Baynes has been ruled out indefinitely.
