Brian Windhorst shed light on the Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets situation with ample focus on his contract after he was swapped for James Harden who is now in a league of his own with the Philadelphia 76ers.
“No one is saying that the Nets had a great option,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s NBA Crosscourt. “But when you look at his contract Ben Simmons owed nearly 80 million dollars over the next two years and hasn’t been able to finish this season or the last season. His future is completely undecided, and he recently broke up with his agent. The Nets have to try to figure out how to move forward with Simmons. It is pretty much inarguably the worst contract in the NBA right now.”
Windhorst’s detailed take saw him suggest that the Nets were still in contention for a playoff spot, even without Simmons, who was shut down for the remainder of the season.
“But a lot of the troubles that they have run into this season are a result of the decision to make the trade the 76ers knew they were making trading an unreliable player to the Nets.”
He further opined that the Nets knew the ramifications of their decision. “This was a Ben Simmons from James Harden swap,” the insider added.
“Harden has gone to Philadelphia and worked with the Sixers on his contract to reduce his salary so that they could help rebuild their roster and has played in all NBA levels of basketball throughout this season. And the Sixers are title contenders because of what James Harden has become for them.”
Simmons played 42 games for Brooklyn this season and has averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 boards, and 6.1 assists — his career-lowest numbers. He last played on February 15 before going down with nerve impingement in his back.
Will The Nets Move Ben Simmons This Summer?
His below performances on the floor, coupled with his injuries have seen Simmons miss a good half of the ongoing season, and it remains to be seen if the Nets are still keen to have him in their ranks next time.
Last month, NBA insider Jack Settleman reported that the Nets were planning to shut down Simmons for the rest of the season, and potentially move him this summer. And one part of the news has already come true.
Simmons’ future in the NBA is surely in doubt. With the guard looking like a pale shadow of himself after being pegged as the league’s future, there’s massive doubt about the number of teams that would come forward to extend a lifeline to the underfire guard.
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