Surprising report emerges about Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons

Dec 16, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles the ball up the court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons were not exactly best buds when they were teammates, but the latter may just end up influencing the future destination of the former.

Appearing this week on “The Brooklyn” podcast, Bob Windrem of Nets Daily reported that Butler’s interest in the Brooklyn Nets is “very, very real.” Even more surprisingly, Windrem added that Butler’s intrigue is in part due to an indirect connection with his former Philadelphia 76ers teammate Simmons.

“Jimmy Butler’s interest in the Brooklyn Nets is very, very real,” Windrem said, per Sports Illustrated. “Part of it is New York, part of it is that Bernie Lee, who is Ben Simmons’ agent, is very happy with how his client has been dealt with by the Nets.”

Butler and Simmons played together in Philly for one season (2018-19). Though Butler was famously close with 76ers star Joel Embiid, he did not have the same rapport with Simmons. In fact, reports at the time suggested that Butler was not happy with Simmons’ mentality. When Butler then left the 76ers after the season to join the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade deal, rumors were that Simmons supposedly helped push Butler out of Philly.

But the two ex-teammates now have a notable connection in that Simmons’ agent Lee is also now the agent for Butler. Simmons has been with the Nets since 2022, and while he still continues to miss a copious amount of games every single season, he has not experienced anything close to the issues that had with the 76ers organization over his then-absences from the team.

There may not ultimately be a reunion between the two players in Brooklyn since Simmons is entering the final year of his contract with the Nets while Butler has made clear that he intends to play out his own final contract year this coming season with the Heat. But we had already heard last month Butler was potentially eyeing the Nets, and it just might be Simmons (against all odds) who is helping influence Butler’s mindset there.