The Nets have formally misplaced the Ben Simmons commerce.
It’s the most important misstep by a corporation that went all-in on star energy a yr and a half in the past, solely to nuke your complete undertaking when Kyrie Irving requested a commerce 48 hours forward of the Feb. 9 NBA commerce deadline.
The Nets traded a disgruntled James Harden for what they hoped can be a promising foundational piece in Simmons, who had missed your complete first half of the 2021-22 season in Philadelphia citing psychological well being points.
Again points stored him out the rest of that season when he arrived in Brooklyn — and so they’ll shut him down the remainder of the best way this time round, too.
The Nets introduced on Friday that Simmons has been recognized with a nerve impingement in his decrease again. In a press release, the crew mentioned he'll “stay out of motion whereas we decide the most effective long-term course of therapy.”
Simmons had already missed 15 straight video games popping out of the nine-day NBA All-Star break layoff as a consequence of what the crew referred to as left knee/again soreness. He had fluid drained from his left knee and obtained a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection each he and the Nets hoped would assist him get by way of the again ache.
So much just like the epidural he obtained final March to assist him work by way of the herniated disk, nonetheless, the injection didn't ship the specified outcomes.
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn reiterated the crew had “zero conversations” about shutting Simmons down 4 occasions for the reason that All-Star break, however after he defined Simmons had but to observe in a crew setting on Tuesday, it turned unimaginable to ascertain a state of affairs the place the embattled ahead can be clear to play at a excessive stage in must-win video games for Brooklyn’s playoff hopes.
Now his standing — and his contract — hover like a darkish cloud above Barclays Middle.
Simmons’ again points have erased any modicum of commerce worth a once-promising two-way participant has this offseason. He's due $77 million over the following two seasons, however he has been unable to remain wholesome sufficient to constantly play in video games.
And when he did play, his affect was negligible, if not dangerous to the Nets throughout prolonged stretches: Simmons has averaged six factors, six rebounds and 6 assists by way of 42 video games for the Nets. He was moved to a bench function in favor of far much less embellished gamers who've confirmed themselves extra impactful of their minutes, and his head coach has defined to the media intimately the difficulties of discovering lineups that each work to Simmons’ strengths and nonetheless give the crew a very good likelihood to win.
“It’s going to be some work that we've got to do,” Vaughn when requested about how Simmons suits into the new-look Nets’ rotation after the deadline. “You simply check out what the lineups might doubtlessly appear like.
“You place a giant subsequent to Ben, then you definitely acquired to determine what the spacing is round him. Then should you put a playmaker subsequent to him, then you definitely acquired to determine what Ben seems to be like with out the basketball. Then should you go small with Ben, then you definitely acquired to determine are you able to rebound sufficient with him…You see the challenges that lie forward.”
The problem that lies forward in Brooklyn is extracting what’s left of Simmons — whether or not that’s commerce worth or precise affect on the courtroom. He was as soon as a dominant two-way participant who averaged 16 factors, eight rebounds, eight assists and two blocks to go along with three All-Star appearances and two First-Staff All-Protection honors in his 4 seasons in Philadelphia.
Simmons is on tempo to overlook the remainder of the season. It’s unclear if he'll stay in a Brooklyn Nets jersey transferring ahead — or if there are any takers on the market keen to make the identical gamble the Nets made buying and selling for him within the first place.
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