Nets wary of selling low on Ben Simmons and don’t want to use him as throw-in in a trade

It’s tempting to suggest Ben Simmons could be that player coming, but that is complicated. Simmons hasn’t played in 13 months. He’s coming off back surgery. He quaked in the postseason — again. His trade value is at an all-time low. For their part, the Nets are wary of selling low on Simmons and cannot afford to view him as mere throw-in.
Source: Zach Lowe @ ESPN

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
🎂 Happy 26th birthday to Ben Simmons!
📊 275 GP, 15.9 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 7.7 APG
🎯 56.0 FG%, 59.7 FT%
⭐️ 3x (2019-2021)
🏆 2018 ROY
Simmons ranks 13th in NBA history with 32 career triple-doubles. He and Oscar Robertson are the only rookies to record at least 10 triple-doubles. pic.twitter.com/451USI5RqF – 9:01 AM

StatMuse @statmuse
Most triple-doubles over the last 6 seasons:
157 — Russell Westbrook
76 — Nikola Jokic
63 — LeBron James
60 — James Harden
46 — Luka Doncic
32 — Ben Simmons
Russ has more than Jokic and LeBron combined. pic.twitter.com/9jayQFQoJU – 12:23 PM

More on this storyline

 

Simmons initially failed to report to the Sixers, but then said he was mentally not ready to play as the two sides continued a contentious standoff. The ruling will establish precedent for possible future holdouts by players seeking trades. “I don’t know exactly how long it takes for these things to unfold, but that’s not over,” said Zach Lowe. “That’s ongoing. I know that for sure. There have have been filings recently in it. And I think it’s $20 million or something is at stake in forfeited salary that the Sixers withheld. “To say the league and its 29 other teams are watching and listening and eagerly anticipating the outcome of that case is also an understatement. Whatever the outcome of that case is, it is going to be an earthquake when it happens if it’s one sided. -via RealGM / July 16, 2022

NBA stars are missing a ton of games. I looked at everyone who has played in an All-Star game over the past three years—48 players in total—and then added the NBA’s current high-earners to beef up this sample to a decent enough chunk of players that it would be possible to approach a trend. By my count: The average NBA star from this list missed 28 games last season. Zero of those 48 players checked into even 80 of the 82 games last season. Five top players—Williamson, Simmons, John Wall, Kawhi Leonard, and Jamal Murray—missed the entire season. -via TrueHoop / July 15, 2022

However, huge roadblocks exist to the idea. The first is that the Nets, under a CBA rule, cannot hold Mitchell’s and Ben Simmons designated rookie extensions at the same time, since both were acquired in trade. The Nets would have to move Simmons to either the Jazz or another team. -via Salt Lake Tribune / July 14, 2022