Brooklyn Nets

With James Harden gone, all eyes in Brooklyn are on the new trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons to see if this can possibly equate to a championship for the Nets. 

However, Ben Simmons has yet to make his debut with the team due to a back injury that is not getting any better, leaving his status for the remainder of the 2021-22 season and the playoffs in question.

There really is no telling what the future holds for Simmons at this point and should the Nets exit the playoffs or play-in tournament prematurely, there could be a ton of speculation about them possibly looking to move Ben Simmons for a more established star with less injury concerns. 

The need for a true defensive-minded center is very apparent on the Nets’ roster right now and with Andre Drummond set to become a free agent, pursuing Rudy Gobert could be highly advantageous for the Nets. 

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Scoring-wise, this team is perfectly fine with the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and secondary talents such as Seth Curry, Patty Mills, and Joe Harris when he is healthy, but defensively, this team has really struggled this season. 

Ben Simmons could undoubtedly help the Nets on defense, but adding the three-time Defensive Player of the Year in Rudy Gobert fills an immediate void in their frontcourt and gives the Nets an even better offense with Gobert’s ability to rebound on the interior. 

Whether or not the Jazz would be interested in taking on Ben Simmons is a whole other question, but this should not prevent the Nets from expressing interest in a player like Rudy Gobert should he become available.