NBA: Ben Simmons opens up on his move to Brooklyn

Ben Simmons has taken more big steps towards playing again in Brooklyn after his blockbuster trade from Philadelphia.

Ben Simmons meets his Brooklyn Nets teammates

Ben Simmons hopes to suit up for the Brooklyn Nets by March 10 after revealing his mental health struggles began well before the trade stand-off with Philadelphia that forced him out of the team.

The Australian mingled with his new Nets teammates on Tuesday before opening up at a press conference, revealing he got to a place where things were “not good” for him mentally in Philadelphia.

But he’s now “moving forward” with his new team.

“There’s just a lot of things internally that happened over time and it just got to a place where I don’t think it was good for me mentally, so it is what it is,” he said of his departure from Philly.

“It happened and I’m moving forward.

“I feel physically pretty good. Mentally, I’m getting there, so it’s an ongoing thing to stay on top of that. But I think I’m heading in the right direction.”

Ben Simmons reflects on the end of his time with the Sixers:

"It was just piled up ... to where I just knew I wasn't myself and I needed to get back into that place ... being happy as a person." pic.twitter.com/33OTltQ29B

— ESPN (@espn) February 15, 2022

Simmons hasn’t played since the 76ers were beaten by Atlanta in game seven of the Eastern Conference semi-finals in 2021.

But he said he was dealing with issues before then that were part of the reason he had to leave the team.

“That was earlier than that series or even that season that I was dealing with and that organisation knew that,” he said.

“So it’s something that I continue to deal with, and I’m getting there and getting to the right place to get back on the floor.

“People are going to say what they want. I’ve had some dark times over the last six months and I’m just happy to be in this situation with this team and organisation.”

Simmons said he had been in the gym “every day” and hoped to be ready to play by the time the Nets visit the 76ers on March 10.

“It was just making sure mentally I was right to get out there and play again,” Simmons said.

“That’s something I’ve been dealing with. And it wasn’t about the fans or coaches or comments made by anybody.

“It was just a personal thing for me. That was earlier than that (playoff) series (against Atlanta) or even that season that I was dealing with (mental health issues) and the organisation (76ers) knew that.

“So it’s something that I continue to deal with and I’m getting to my place, getting back to the floor.”

The start of a new journey 😤 pic.twitter.com/4cSKZnOXdk

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 15, 2022

Simmons was listed as unavailable due to “return to competition reconditioning” for Brooklyn’s match on Tuesday, but the Aussie NBA All-Star still made an appearance after his blockbuster trade from Philadelphia last week.

A video posted on social media by the Nets of Simmons at the team’s shootaround before the match with the Kings was viewed more than one million times as Simmons, who hasn’t played this season after a long contract stand-off with the 76ers, interacted with his new teammates, including superstar Kevin Durant.

Simmons joined the Nets after a last-minute deal sent James Harden to Philadelphia.

In the building 👀 pic.twitter.com/KCpan6vzfj

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 14, 2022

Nets @HSpecialSurgery Status Report for tonight's game vs. Sacramento pic.twitter.com/jUQkG3etHv

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 14, 2022

The 25-year-old Simmons refused to play for the 76ers during the stand-off, citing mental health issues and requesting a trade.

He didn’t do much on-court work at the shootaround and his return to play remains unclear.

Simmons, the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2017-18 season, joins fellow Aussie Patty Mills in Brooklyn.

He was welcomed to the team by Nets coach Steve Nash who said they wanted Simmons to “do a lot of things for us”.

“I think that’s his gift is that he’s an incredibly athletic defender who is a creative passer, incredible in transition and can also playmake out of pick and roll as a roller,” he said.

“I think he can be dynamic for us in a lot of ways. I think he fits our group really well and I think it’s really exciting to take on such a talented player who’s ready to enter the second stage of his career and hopefully we can help him take a jump.”