Does this trade make sense for the Brooklyn Nets?
Kyrie Irving certainly brings more of a championship upside to the table than that of Ben Simmons for either the Brooklyn Nets or Philadelphia 76ers, but at the same time, Ben Simmons is an elite-level defender. When on the court, he is arguably a Top-10 defender in the entire league, which is why Simmons needs to still be regarded as an All-Star talent.
Being able to guard virtually any position on the floor and still being an elite-level facilitator on the offensive end of the floor, a trio of Simmons-Harden-Durant could be lethal in pick-and-roll situations, but his contract is just too much for the Nets to feel comfortable about right now.
At least with Kyrie Irving, he has a player option for next season and there is no long-term leverage hanging over the heads of the Brooklyn Nets. If they decide to move on from Irving, it could be as early as next offseason, that is assuming Irving would be alright with the idea of opting out of his option.
For Ben Simmons, he is under contract through 2024 as mentioned before and the Nets are going to wind up being stuck with him through then if they made this trade with the Sixers. If more drama transpires with Simmons not wanting to play, it is not like Brooklyn can get a “refund” for him, so they would be stuck with yet another negative situation.
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In addition, the Nets would definitely prefer not to send Kyrie Irving to another Eastern Conference team, especially one that they are contending in the conference against. The Philadelphia 76ers are currently a game ahead of the Nets in the Eastern Conference standings and in the Atlantic Division, so why would the Nets want to help their rivals by giving them one of the best playmakers in the entire league?
Adding Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets roster obviously helps them right now since Irving is out, but if we are talking from a clear talent and value standpoint here, the 76ers are winning this trade by a wide margin.
