Why This Trade Works For The Brooklyn Nets
The Nets desperately needed another offensive creator after James Harden was traded away. Ben Simmons was supposed to be able to fill that role seamlessly while also providing a game-changing defensive presence, but that proved to be a pipe dream.
Instead, Simmons remained on the sidelines as a spectator, watching his new team get swept in the first round at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
Now, the Nets have to hope that Simmons — a controversial personality who hasn’t played basketball in over a year and has proven to struggle with mental health — can come into the already volatile situation that is Brooklyn’s team dynamic and somehow turn it into a title contender.
Of course, adding a mentally and physically healthy and prepared Ben Simmons to a lineup that also features future Hall-of-Famers Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would make for one of the most talented rosters in the league. The question is when will Simmons be both of those things? Will it be in time to cut the right wire on a ticking time bomb that might flatten one of the major boroughs?
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If Brooklyn can’t answer those questions with a resounding yes, then it may be best for them to cut bait on Ben Simmons before it’s too late. The former All-Star’s trade value has surely taken a hit since failing to appear in a game for an entire calendar year.
Even so, the Nets still got an outstanding shooter in Seth Curry out of the James Harden trade, as well as two future first-round picks. If they flip Simmons in this proposed deal, they add another high-end sniper in Tim Hardaway Jr., a shot creator and playmaker that’s used to playing in Brooklyn in Spencer Dinwiddie, and another first-rounder to their growing war chest.
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This trade wouldn’t fill all of Brooklyn’s holes, but it does make them a more surefire playoff threat than they were with Simmons on the sidelines. The Brooklyn Nets can also use some of the assets they acquired while trading for Ben, as well as the piece they gained moving off of him, to further improve their team.
Whether or not they actually end up trading Ben Simmons this offseason, there will be a ton of NBA rumors attached to his name.
