Adrian Wojnarowski Reveals Ben Simmons And Rich Paul Spoke To Nets Leadership About "Physical And Mental Hurdles" Remaining Before He Plays

Ben Simmons when on the court is one of the best defensive players and playmakers in the league. He is a 3-time All-Star that impacts the game on many levels, and offensively, he can finish well at the rim.

In the middle of the season, Ben Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden. However, he has not played for the Brooklyn Nets since getting traded.

There were reports that Ben Simmons was dealing with some mental health issues this year. Adrian Wojnarowski has recently revealed that during a discussion with "Brooklyn Nets leadership" Ben Simmons and Rich Paul "spoke about the physical and mental hurdles" that he has to overcome in order to return to play.

In a meeting with Brooklyn Nets leadership on Monday afternoon, Ben Simmons and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul spoke about the physical and mental hurdles remaining in the All-Star's pursuit of a return to play, a discussion that made clear to the participants a need to keep addressing the mental side of that process, sources told ESPN.

Simmons reiterated what he has consistently told team officials since his arrival from the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 10: He wants to play and perform for the Nets as soon as possible, and still wasn't ruling out that happening this season if the Nets survived Monday's elimination game against the Boston Celtics, sources said. Boston won 116-112 to sweep the best-of-seven series.

The Nets made clear to Simmons and Paul that the organization plans to continue giving the three-time All-Star every resource necessary in the short and long term, sources said.

Hopefully, Ben Simmons is able to return to play sooner rather than later. There's no doubt that he's a fantastic player on the court, but if there are still health issues to sort out then he has to deal with that and get fully healthy.

When Ben Simmons does return though, the Brooklyn Nets should be a force in the Eastern Conference. A trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons could be deadly, and we'll see how it all works next season.