"He'd win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year"

NBL champion Damon Lowry has thrown another big Australian name into the mix of players he’d like to see return for the Hungry Jack’s NBL27 Season.

With the likelihood of Australian basketball legends Joe Ingles and Patty Mills returning home increasing by the week, NBL champion Damon Lowry has thrown another big name into the mix.

“The number one overall pick in the Draft… the three-time NBA All-Star, the dude that made the NBL First Team All Defence twice… Ben Simmons,” he said on Instagram.

“What if a healthy Ben Simmons showed up in NBL27?

“Can you imagine? It would be carnage.”

The 29-year-old last played for the Los Angeles Clippers in early 2025, before seemingly taking a break from professional basketball to focus on his health, having fought through significant injuries in recent years.

Lowery believes that if Simmons is ready to go, there would be no stopping him in the NBL.

“Who going to guard to Him? Because he could guard everyone,” he said.

“He would win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same year.”

Five-time Olympian Ingles will reportedly sign a deal with Melbourne United in the coming weeks, upon the conclusion of his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN’s Olgun Uluc.

Meanwhile the conversation around Mills’ future continues to gain momentum, with CODE Sports revealing Tuesday that the Perth Wildcats are preparing to submit an offer.

With many NBL teams slowly beginning to add key pieces to their puzzle, Lowery has a simple message to those with big gaps to fill.

“To all your NBL GMs out there, I know you love basketball, but do you love it enough to reach out to Ben and see how he’s doing?”

Across his seven seasons in the NBA, Simmons made 422 appearances for Philadelphia, Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Clippers.