Free agent forward Ben Simmons is expected to be a full participant with "zero restrictions" at a player-led private minicamp for the Australian men's basketball team, beginning Monday in Melbourne, a source told ESPN Andscape on Sunday.
Simmons, 30, didn't play in the 2025-26 NBA season in hopes of fully recovering from back and other injuries. The four-time All-Star last played for the LA Clippers, whom he signed with in February 2025 after he was waived by the Brooklyn Nets. He appeared in 18 regular-season games with the Clippers, plus another five in the playoffs.
Several NBA teams have expressed interest in Simmons, who is open to signing a minimum contract, according to sources. One source said he has a non-guaranteed offer on the table for minicamp with a Western Conference team.
Arizona State assistant David Patrick, who is Simmons' godfather and an assistant coach for the Australian national team, told Andscape that Simmons has regained his athleticism. He has been working out primarily in Miami, where he lives.
Simmons, a Melbourne native, hopes to play for the Boomers during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He paid his own way to attend this week's minicamp.
Simmons has twice played for Australia at the 2013 FIBA Men's Oceania Championships as a 17-year-old, but didn't participate in the next three Olympic Games despite being considered a potential player.
The No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft and 2018 Rookie of the Year, Simmons earned three straight All-Star nods from 2019 to 2021, a 2020 All-NBA third-team selection and two All-Defensive first-team selections in 2020 and 2021.
Injuries, however, severely plagued the trajectory of his NBA career, and he has not played more than 60 games in a season since 2018-19.
Meanwhile, in December 2025, the avid fisherman purchased a 50% majority stake in the South Florida Sails Angling Club, which competes in the Sport Fishing Championship, to become the team's controlling operator.
