Ben Simmons at his best is one of the best defensive players in the league. He is capable of guarding multiple positions on the court effectively and was notably one of the people in DPOY talks during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. Offensively, he is a solid slasher who is also effective at making plays for 3PT shooters with his passing.
Thus far with the Brooklyn Nets, Ben Simmons has struggled, though it should be noted that he has shown signs of improvement recently. There were some talks about the team potentially wanting to trade him.
An NBA executive has recently suggested that Ben Simmons could command interest from the Golden State Warriors, claiming that he could “take over the Draymond role” with the team. Thomas Darro of Heavy relayed the news.
“As much as they do not want to trade any of their young guys, the idea of bringing in Ben Simmons at age 26, that would be the kind of thing that maybe would get them to change course. He could take over the Draymond role with that team and he is a lot more athletic, a better passer and potentially as much of a defensive presence—potentially. He lacks Draymond’s fire and passion, obviously. Would the Nets do it? That’s the question. But if you can get (Jonathan) Kuminga and Draymond in a swap for Simmons, if you’re the Nets, that is not a bad deal.
The thing about the Warriors is they look at where Andrew Wiggins is now and they think they can fix anyone. Even Simmons. It is a good environment for him to be in, with workers like Klay (Thompson) and Steph (Curry) there, it is a high bar to reach and you saw how it changed Wiggins. Maybe it’d work for Simmons, too,” a Western Conference executive told Heavy Sports.
There’s no doubt that acquiring Ben Simmons could help the Golden State Warriors get better immediately, while also acquiring a relatively young player who can be part of the next iteration of the team. Obviously, trading away Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga won’t be an easy decision to make for the team, but perhaps Ben Simmons’ talent could be worth it.
The Warriors Won’t Trade Their Young Players Until Stephen Curry Tells Them To
Though acquiring Ben Simmons right now could be good for the Golden State Warriors, it seems as though the team might not end up trading Jonathan Kuminga in that scenario. It was noted in a previous report that the Warriors won’t trade their young players until told to by superstar Stephen Curry.
When asked whether or not Kuminga would be in Golden State past his rookie deal, this is what they had to say:
“Probably, because it is ownership that has to make the call on that in the end, and they have sold themselves on the idea that their young guys are going to be Steph and Klay and Draymond all over again,” a Western Conference executive told Deveney. “It is going to be hard to bust their bubble on that. Now, if this season goes south totally, and Steph goes to the owners and says, ‘we gotta do something,’ maybe that changes. But the commitment to those young guys is there.”
The Golden State Warriors are notably executing a “win and develop” plan, where they try to blend competing with their veteran core and developing their young prospects at the same time. Thus far, the team has struggled with the young players, as they do not seem ready to take on rotational roles within a competing team.
Hopefully, we see the Golden State Warriors make a win-now move in the future. They have a top 10 player of all time in Stephen Curry, and they must do their best to maximize him while he is still playing at a high level.
