NBL to 'reach out' to Ben Simmons on return

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Ben Simmons is fishing on the Whitsundays, he has rejected an offer from the New York Knicks and he no longer has a manager but the polarising Aussie NBA star still thinks he can ball, reports Matt Logue from CODE Sports.

Reports indicated Simmons could retire, but the Melbourne-born guard emphatically shutdown those claims when responding to a comment on his Instagram page.

A fan asked: ‘Is bro retired?’, prompting Simmons to reply with: “No”.

It comes as NBL boss Larry Kestelman will personally call the “troubled” Australian NBA star while he is fishing in Queensland’s Whitsundays to offer him the chance to reignite his career and “love” for basketball.

Read the full article on CODE Sports

Simmons’ once All-Star career is at a crossroads amid reports he is weighing up retirement following a host of injury-interrupted seasons.

He reportedly knocked back a veteran minimum contract from the Knicks worth $4.5 million.

As conjecture reigns over Simmons’ next move, he is relaxing on a holiday in far north Queensland.

Kestelman isn’t aware of the guard’s plans for the future, but believes he is “too young to retire” and would love to help him rediscover his happiness for hoops.

“I’ll reach out to Ben and I’d love to have a chat to him because I believe he is someone who we (the NBL) want to put our arms around,” Kestelman said.

“He is an Australian, he has obviously had his struggles but I believe everyone deserves a second chance.

“I think he is too good of a talent not to be playing basketball. I hope he comes and plays for the passion of it and a deal in the NBL is somewhere where his passion could be reignited.”

Kestelman would be prepared to dig into his reserve funds to offer the former NBA All-Star a “fair” package.

The NBL boss revealed he could also offer Simmons the chance to follow in Andrew Bogut’s footsteps and take on an ownership stake with a club.

“We could, but I also don’t want it to be about money,” he said.

“I think paying Ben fairly is do-able but it (the pitch) will be more around Australia is home, we’re not the NBA and if you want to re-find your passion for the game, why don’t you come here.

“That is my message to Ben. Take some of the pressure off. We’re not the big show. Play for a year or two and see if you can find your passion and have some fun.

“I hope he can do that through the NBL. We’ll wrap our arms around him and see how we can help him.

“But it is ultimately up to Ben – he has to figure out what he wants to do and I just want him to be happy.”