The Philadelphia 76ers could be nearing the finish line when it comes to the Ben Simmons saga. The star guard has been in a holdout to begin the 2021-22 season. He has missed all of training camp and two preseason games and is poised to miss a third on Monday.

As the Sixers move forward, there is hope a resolution could be coming soon. Philadelphia and Simmons’ representation at Klutch Sports are working to get him back with the team while trying to find a trade.

Coach Doc Rivers and the Sixers have maintained they would like Simmons to return to the team. With the latest news, that position has not changed. They want to have their star guard moving forward.

“We’ve said from Day 1 what we wanted: We would love to get him back,” said Rivers. “Other than that, there is nothing to report. Our position hasn’t changed.”

Simmons is represented by Rich Paul at Klutch, and Rivers has maintained that he and Paul have had good conversations. He will not reveal what they have discussed, rightfully so. But the idea is to get him back with the team and playing again in order to get trade interest moving again.

“I’m not gonna talk about what Rich and I have talked about, but clearly that’s what we want,” Rivers stated succinctly. “We wouldn’t be talking if that wasn’t part of it, but I’m not gonna tell you exactly what we’ve been talking about.”

The next concern would be whether Simmons and his teammates can co-exist again. There have been rumblings of him and Joel Embiid not being on the same page anymore. Rivers is unconcerned.

“Players don’t get involved with people’s business. That is the one thing that I think is probably overplayed more than anything. I’ve been a player when this has happened before and I was a player that has done it before, and other than that first 10 minutes of welcoming back and taking the crap from your teammates about missing camp and stuff, guys wanna win.”

Finally, another concern is whether Simmons will be 100% mentally if back with the team. Will he want to get back with his teammates? Will he want to put on a Sixers uniform again? Or will he just tell the team he is injured and not want to compete?

“No, I’m not. I’m not, honestly. We’ve been around this before, haven’t we?” asked Rivers. “We really have in different ways. My guess is when, if he comes, I think he’ll be ready to play.”

Will Simmons be ready to go for opening night on Oct. 20 if he does show up?

“I don’t know,” Rivers finished. “I haven’t seen him. My guess would be yes, but I can’t guarantee that. I don’t know that yet.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!