The Ben Simmons saga is dragging on. The three-time All-Star guard sat out the Philadelphia 76ers‘ home opener on Friday night for personal reasons and the franchise does not know when, and more importantly, if he will return.

Simmons sat out the first game of the season due to a suspension handed by the team for conduct detrimental to the team after coach Doc Rivers threw him out of practice for refusing to participate in a drill. He returned on Friday and addressed the team before the shootaround for the opener against the Brooklyn Nets. Rivers said it was a “productive day” and hoped the meeting was a start toward bringing Simmons back into the fold.

“It still does not mean things will work out perfect, or it could. I have always believed that. I have never wavered from that,” Rivers said.

Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists over four seasons with Philadelphia, which drafted him number one in 2016 out of LSU, where he played only one season. His defining moment as a Sixer came when he passed up a wide-open dunk against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of last year’s playoffs that would have tied the game late in Game 7. Simmons took the blame for Philly’s early postseason exit.

Rivers said he didn’t want to predict when Simmons might rejoin the Sixers — if the guard returns at all.

“We’re going to make sure Ben’s with the right people and see where that goes,” Rivers said. “He is part of the team. We have certain rules, obviously. The other day, that didn’t happen. But today was a good day.”

Sixers forward Tobias Harris tweeted, “we’ll respect his privacy and space during this time. When he’s ready, we will embrace our brother with love and handle our business on the court. That’s it, that’s all.”

The Sixers play road games on Sunday and Tuesday. They return home on Thursday against the Detroit Pistons.