Ben Simmons has been diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back.
Simmons hasn’t played since the Brooklyn Nets’ final game before the All-Star break in February with a combination of left knee and back soreness.
Jacque Vaughn insisted there had been “zero” discussions about shutting down Simmons for the season at that point.
“Definitely operating under that belief,” Vaughn said, when asked directly if he’s expecting Simmons to play again this season. “There’s zero discussions about him not playing. We expect him to be back, waiting for him to be back, watching the last Sacramento game, it was great to see him and his physicality versus [Kings All-Star Domantas] Sabonis last time, so looking forward to seeing that again, for sure.”
Simmons has another two years remaining on his contract, paying him $37.8 million in 2023-24 and 40.3 million in 2024-25.
