Nets guard Ben Simmons holds a ball during a timeout...

Nets guard Ben Simmons holds a ball during a timeout in the second half of an NBA game against the Rockets at Barclays Center on April 5. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

It’s hard to know what to believe.

Either there are absolutely no plans for Ben Simmons to join the Nets during their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. Or, the Nets have produced a well-coordinated, elite-level smokescreen to hide the fact that he is just games away from joining his teammates for the first time this season.

The status of Simmons, who hasn’t played a game this season, has continued to be the source of massive speculation around the league with both The Athletic and ESPN reporting Thursday that he could be ready as early as Game 4 of the series to play his first game as a Net.

Kevin Durant said Thursday after practice that he is preparing for the Eastern Conference first-round series as if Simmons won’t be there on the floor with him.

"I'm not expecting him to play," Durant said. "That's easier for me. I'm not putting any pressure on Ben to come out there and hoop. So I'm not expecting him to do anything but just to get his body right and get healthy as fast as he can. So in my mind, I'm preparing as if we're playing with the team we have."

Simmons, who was acquired from the 76ers in the James Harden deal right before the trade deadline in February, has not played in an NBA game since the playoffs a year ago, when he was a member of the 76ers. He refused to play for the 76ers at the beginning of the season and requested a trade. Then he injured his back when he was ramping up to play for the Nets.

Simmons has yet to go through 5-on-5 drills with his team, though he is watching film and attending practices. Simmons has been progressing in his individual workouts, coach Steve Nash said, but he hasn’t done any “basketball conditioning.”

“It’s up to Ben’s back,” Nash said Thursday when asked about his return. "It's not up to me, any of us, other than his back — and how we can help that resolve, great. There's a chance Ben comes back, there's a chance he doesn't come back. So I think for us we got to focus on the group, support Ben and his journey to get back on the floor. But at the same time we don't have time to lose focus on the group that's playing.

"Ben's a franchise cornerstone — but right now it's about supporting him physically and mentally to get back on the floor and coaching the group to put its best foot forward in the first few games of the series at least. Internally, we're not sitting here saying 'Ben's returning in this series.' We'll see what happens."

Nash said recently that he would have no issue inserting Simmons in the middle of a playoff series and Thursday he doubled down on that.

"He's a super talented player," Nash said. "I think we'd have to give him a chance if he was healthy to play."

Simmons, a three-time All-Star, is an elite defender who does almost everything well except for a reluctance to shoot from outside. His healthy return could be a game-changer in the Nets' effort to slow Jayson Tatum and the Celtics. Simmons averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 58 games for the 76ers last season

"I'm not even thinking about that," Durant said when asked what Simmons’ return could do for the team. "We all know what type of player Ben is. And you can put together scenarios in your mind on your own on what it would look like, but I'm not going to go there because we're just taking it a day at a time."

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