Bernie Lee, the agent for injured Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons, took the "blame" for his client's inability to stay on the floor this season due to lingering back issues.

"We continue to try and find non-surgical options to allow Ben to move forward on a permanent basis and that is where this is my responsibility and I am (the) one to blame," Lee told Ian Begley of SNY. "When I began working with Ben I made a commitment to him that I would do everything I could to find the right answers and specialists for him to work with (in order) to move forward from the issues he has been having. Clearly it hasn't happened, and that's my responsibility.

"In the year I have worked with Ben he has taken less than seven days off. In my almost 20 years doing this (it) isn't something I've seen. So the thought that he is doing everything asked of him but not getting the results is something that in no way shape or form sits right with me, and I am committed to finding him the right people and the right answers and we will."

Simmons has played just 57 games for the Nets since being acquired during the 2021-22 season. He's been limited to 15 games in 2023-24 amid back problems that plagued him dating back to his time with the Philadelphia 76ers.

A three-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA selection in Philadelphia, Simmons' career has fallen off a cliff in Brooklyn. He's averaged just 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists when on the floor this season, with his scoring prowess essentially evaporating.

The Nets are on the hook for Simmons' $40.3 million salary for next season, the final year of a five-year, $177.2 million deal he signed with the Sixers. Lee said Simmons' camp will attempt to play out this season before working hard in the offseason to get him back at 100 percent.

"Come the offseason, we're going to implement some processes and outside input that'll allow him to finally move forward from this ongoing issue and resume his career at the levels he's established prior to being injured," Lee said.

The Nets have fallen to a disappointing 24-37 record and owe their first-round pick to the Houston Rockets for their ill-fated 2021 acquisition of James Harden. Having a healthy Simmons back in action could go a long way in Brooklyn's attempt to avoiding that trade going down as one of the worst in NBA history.