Nets’ Simmons Saga Reportedly Reaches The End Game, Finally

AP

If June 30, 2019 was one of the most glorious dates in Nets history with then ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski’s epic “clean sweep” tweet announcing the Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving/DeAndre Jordan signings that ushered in an era that transformed Brooklyn basketball into the talk of the league, then February 10, 2022 marked the day it all started to unravel.

For that’s when Nets General Manager Sean Marks, acceding to the request of superstar guard James Harden, traded him to Philadelphia for a package that included the polarizing Ben Simmons. I call it Marks’ original sin, for I knew then that the consequences—Simmons’ poor fit on the court, a contract that was deemed the worst in the league, etc.--would be catastrophic.

To this day, I continue to agonize over the “what if”, as in how different the Nets’ subsequent predicament would have been had Marks held firm and kept Harden through that postseason. Who knows what would have ensued? Maybe Harden extends (Philadelphia would have had to do contortions to pay him that summer, including finding some other schmuck to take on Simmons’ contract), maybe he doesn’t. But without Simmons sucking up so much salary cap space, maybe the Nets could have pivoted to a more useful alternative so that Irving, and then Durant, wouldn’t have subsequently asked out as well.

Instead, the Nets, with Simmons in-and-out of the lineup due to an assortment of injuries, including two back surgeries, steadily plummeted back to irrelevancy. And now that it’s nearly three years after the trade that ignited the collapse, we can finally turn the page, for Simmons is reportedly negotiating his buyout to free himself—and Nets fans frustrated by his ongoing travails. The Clippers, Cavs, and Rockets are all mentioned as possible suitors. (Note: Per New York Post reporter Brian Lewis, Bernard Lee, Simmons; agent, denied that any such conversations are occurring, but if that’s the case, why is Simmons listed as “Out--away from the team” on the injury report for Friday night’s home tilt versus Miami?)

Wherever Simmons finishes out the season, that team had better understand that it isn’t getting “BEN SIMMONS!”, the three-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-Defensive First Team honoree. He is a shell of that player. Blame the devastating and uncontrollable injury history and Simmons’ inability to expand his game beyond what his natural athletic gifts allow him to do, which has always been within his control.

Ironically, Simmons will have left Brooklyn with the best free throw percentage season of his career (69.2%). Unfortunately, it didn’t help him shake his apparent fear of getting fouled, as someone must have a clip of him passing out of layup after layup posted on social media.

It wasn’t just free throws. Per NBA.com, he went 4-for-19 (21%) on shots outside the paint as a Net, including 0-for-6 this season. He took a pair of three-pointers during his first season in Brooklyn, missing both.

Overall, he played 90 of a possible 244 regular season games through Friday night for Brooklyn, none in the playoffs. The Nets went 44-46 when he suited up. He averaged around 9 points per 36 minutes, a little more than half of what he used to produce in Philly.

There were brief periods where Simmons elicited hope that he was close to turning a corner in a positive direction—he’d roll off a half dozen gorgeous dimes and take rebounds coast-to-coast with unreal speed for a 6-foot 10 man. But then he’d fade into the shadows, content to play offense from the perimeter where he is no threat and give half-hearted efforts contesting opponents’ shots in the paint. Often both sides of the coin in the same game.

Unreliable and inconsistent is not a winning combination, especially when the Nets were never able to surround Simmons with the four-out look that helped him thrive in Philadelphia. Brooklyn’s centers couldn’t space the floor either, allowing opposing defenses to clog the paint. In the last two seasons, here are Brooklyn’s net ratings per 100 possessions when Simmons and starter Nic Claxton shared the court, per NBA.com:

2023-24: Minus-21 in 99 minutes; 95.8 offensive rating

2024-25: Minus-12.7 in 253 minutes; 106.3 offensive rating

It took having All-Time NBA scoring icons Durant and Irving to make a Nets offense with Claxton/Simmons look functional in 2023-24. Without KD on the court that season, Brooklyn was again in negative territory.

The Simmons Saga wasn’t a joy ride for the Nets organization as well as the fans. However, Simmons and Lee have always credited the organization for their patience and humanity in dealing with all the turbulence. I think the vast majority of fans will wish Simmons good health going forward, but maybe not so much good fortune.

Going into this season, the tanking Nets surely weren’t counting on Simmons--pretty much the only value he was bound to provide was that his approximately $40.3 contract would come off their books at the end. His departure would then allow the franchise to jump-start the rebuilding process.

If only it was three years ago.