Australian basketballer Ben Simmons 'moving forward' with NBA's Brooklyn Nets after 76ers departure

Australia's Ben Simmons says his mental health struggles began well before the 76ers' last NBA season ended and didn't believe he'd be able to overcome them in Philadelphia.

Simmons is eager to begin moving on with the Brooklyn Nets, though isn't sure yet when he will join them on the court.

Nor was he sure how things got so bad in Philadelphia.

«If I knew, I would tell you everything,» Simmons said.

«But there's just a lot of things internally that had 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. It happened and I'm moving forward."

He spoke at the Nets' practise centre, less than a week after the 76ers traded him to Brooklyn as part of a package for James Harden.

The former number one overall pick hasn't played since the 76ers were beaten by Atlanta in game seven of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Post-game comments from teammate Joel Embiid and coach Doc Rivers after Simmons played poorly were considered the catalyst for his trade request.

But Simmons said that wasn't the case.

«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.»

Simmons said he hoped to be ready to play by the time the Nets visit the 76ers on March 10.

He thanked the 76ers organisation and fans for their support and said he had spoken with some teammates and personnel — though not Embiid — after the trade.

The stand-off between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers is finally over and both now need to move on. That's especially true for Simmons, who may have done irreparable damage to his