Ben Simmons' time with the Brooklyn Nets appears to be over. The No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft was not with the Nets for their game Friday night against the Miami Heat as the sides work toward a buyout of his contract.

The Brooklyn Nets and Ben Simmons are working toward a contract buyout, a league source said Friday, and Simmons will meet with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Clippers and Houston Rockets as he decides on his next destination. ESPN was the first to report news of the buyout.

There were plenty of times when Ben Simmons’ colossal disappointment of a Nets tenure seemed as if it could be over: back in March 2023, when a nerve impingement in his back and knee problems led to him being shut down; one year later, when his season ended again due to a nerve impingement.