The owner of the single worst contract in the NBA right now may be poised to play out that contract in its entirety.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported Tuesday that neither the Brooklyn Nets nor veteran forward Ben Simmons have any interest whatsoever in pursuing a buyout to potentially end their partnership. Siegel also says that it is a “strong possibility” that Simmons will remain on the Brooklyn roster beyond the Feb. 6 trade deadline (meaning that he will not be traded either).
The three-time All-Star Simmons, now 28, signed a five-year, $177M contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019, which the Nets then assumed when they acquired Simmons as part of the 2022 James Harden trade. He has returned very little value since then however due to constant injuries and never managing to develop a workable game as a scorer.
In the three years since being acquired by the Nets, Simmons has appeared in 80 total games (less than one full season’s worth) and has averaged 6.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists per contest. He has 57/0/50 shooting splits too.
But for Simmons, whose contract will be up after the season, it makes sense for him to try to hang onto as much guaranteed money as possible right now rather than giving up some to facilitate a buyout. Simmons’ market value is in the toilet right now, and it is anyone’s guess if he will be able to command anything more than the veteran’s minimum as a free agent next summer.
As for the Nets, Simmons can’t really hurt them much more this year as they are a rebuilding team with a record of 11-18 (11th in the East). Brooklyn may also be banking on a short-term boost from Simmons after they recently opened up some offensive opportunities by trading away a top scorer.
