Former Sixer Ben Simmons remains unsigned. His legend wasn’t supposed to end this way.

Ben Simmons remains without an NBA home.

I’m scratching my head right now and considering how far Simmons has fallen from greatness.

Simmons has become an afterthought. And, again, I’m scratching my head and thinking about how it got to this point.

The 6-foot-10, 240-pound point guard was destined to be a generational player. The 76ers’ first pick in the 2016 draft was supposed to be one of the faces of the league for decades to come.

“It’s unique in the sense that Simmons is a 6-10 point guard. We haven’t seen that in a long time,” former Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan said on Nov. 3, 2017, hours before his team’s game against the Sixers. “LeBron [James] is about as close as a big guard that’s handling the ball as much as he does. Magic [Johnson] was that other guy. The league really hasn’t seen the big point guards in a long time.”

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Simmons and the 6-9, 250-pound James had been frequently compared because of their blend of size, athleticism, and playmaking ability. Both utilized their court vision and size to initiate offense and create scoring opportunities for teammates, particularly in transition.

Simmons missed his entire rookie season after fracturing the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot during a preseason scrimmage. But he followed that up by winning rookie of the year in 2017-18 and was named an All-Star in the three seasons that followed.

That led to Simmons signing a five-year, $177.2 million contract extension with the Sixers on July 16, 2019.

At that time, Simmons was a triple-double machine and one of the NBA’s young superstars. Extending his contract was an easy decision for the ownership group and front office.

He averaged 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists during the 2018-19 season. Simmons also had 10 triple-doubles, increasing his career total at that time to 22. He joined Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only NBA players with at least 10 triple-doubles in each of their first two seasons.

Simmons also joined Robertson and Johnson, another Hall of Famer, as the only players to record at least 200 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists through their first 13 playoff games.

“Ben Simmons is an important piece of our core, and he is one of the NBA’s most dynamic and talented young players,” general manager Elton Brand said in a July 16, 2019, statement. “It was a priority for our organization that we finalize a contract extension with Ben this summer. …

“Ben positively impacts the game in so many ways, and we look forward to continuing our championship pursuits with him as one of our leaders.”

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In addition to becoming a perennial All-Star, he was the runner-up for defensive player of the year in 2021.

Yet, four years later, he finds himself behind Josh Giddey, Malcolm Brogdon, and Russell Westbrook as the best point guards still available in free agency. The Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns reportedly are interested in Simmons as they look to add point-guard depth for next season.

The winning franchise will receive a different player. Mental blocks associated with his shooting struggles and ongoing back injuries have prevented Simmons from living up to lofty expectations.

Simmons has been dealing with lower-back issues since the 2018-19 season.

But it started to take a turn for the worst when he grabbed a rebound during practice on Feb. 19, 2020, the first day back from that season’s All-Star break. He received treatment and missed the following day’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.

The next game came on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 22, 2020, on national television. Simmons played ... for just 4 minutes, 44 seconds.

When you look at the start of that game, he made a couple of moves to the basket. He scored on a couple of layups. But you could tell his back was tight.

He reaggravated the back injury while driving to the basket and making a hard stop on his way to scoring a layup. Simmons came out of the game a couple of series later.

The Sixers labeled the injury as a “nerve impingement,” otherwise known as a pinched nerve.

He missed the eight games before the NBA shut down in mid-March because of the COVID pandemic. Simmons returned for the league restart at Walt Disney World and finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists as the Sixers opened play against the Pacers inside the “bubble” on Aug. 1, 2020.

But he left the bubble after suffering a partial dislocation of his left kneecap against the Washington Wizards two games later. He later underwent surgery to remove a loose body in his left knee.

Simmons’ tenure in Philadelphia came to an end when he was shipped to the Nets in a blockbuster trade for James Harden on Feb. 10, 2022. The move came following a five-month standoff. Simmons refused to report to camp during a meeting with managing partner Josh Harris, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, coach Doc Rivers, and Brand. He also told them he no longer wanted to be a Sixer.

Simmons eventually showed up to two practices but didn’t engage with teammates and was kicked out of the second practice after refusing to participate in a drill. He was fined for missing the first 54 games of the 2021-22 season and received fines for other disciplinary actions.

Simmons’ relationship with the organization had became irreparable after Rivers’ comments following the Sixers’ Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals on June 20, 2021.

That’s when the coach, who has been one of Simmons’ most prominent supporters and defenders, was asked by The Inquirer’s David Murphy if the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft was capable of being a point guard on a championship-caliber team.

“I don’t know the answer to that right now,” Rivers responded on a night when Simmons finished with five points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds — and was not on the floor for the final 40 seconds of the 103-96 loss. He attempted just four shots, making two. He played timidly, appearing fearful of going to the foul line.

That became apparent with 3 minutes, 29 seconds remaining and the Sixers trailing, 88-86. Simmons drove to the basket past Danilo Gallinari but passed up an open dunk underneath the basket and instead dished the ball to Matisse Thybulle, whom John Collins fouled. Thybulle made one of two free throws.

After being traded, Simmons remained sidelined the remainder of the 2021-22 season, partly because of his back.

The Nets had lofty expectations once Simmons was set to make his Brooklyn debut.

But as it turned out, he may have been better off if he hadn’t forced a trade out of Philadelphia — especially after the Nets traded Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in 2023.

Simmons found himself as the face of the Nets franchise.

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And that was not a good thing, because he wasn’t capable of duplicating his past success.

Simmons averaged what then were career lows in points (6.9), rebounds (6.3), assists (6.1), and minutes played (26.3) in 2022-23. He also shot a then-career-low 43.9% from the foul line. He was benched in some late-game situations as a result.

The back issues persisted. Simmons lost some of his trademark explosiveness. He averaged 6.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 25.4 minutes in just 90 games — with 69 starts — in three seasons in Brooklyn before being bought out of his contract on Feb. 8.

Simmons signed with the Los Angeles Clippers two days later and averaged career lows of 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 16.4 minutes in 18 appearances off the bench.

However, Simmons joined Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, and Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac as the only players to finish the season in the 70th percentile in defensive positional versatility, defensive playmaking, perimeter isolation defense, and defensive activity, according to The BBall Index.

So there’s still a spot in the NBA for Simmons, who turned 29 on Sunday.

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But he’s no longer considered a generational talent, no longer listed at the top of opponents’ scouting reports.

He turned into a situational role player, a backup, and someone looking to prove he can still make a positive impact.

The Ben Simmons who averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists as a Sixer is gone.