Nets Must Figure Out Ben Simmons Dilemma

The Brooklyn Nets don't have a set plan for Ben Simmons.

Feb 29, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons (not in uniform) sits on the bench in the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets are entering the final year of Ben Simmons' contract, where the former No. 1 overall pick is set to make $40 million.

Simmons, 28, is reportedly ready to go for training camp next week after figuring out his back issues that limited him to just 15 appearances for the Nets last season.

Given that he is now healthy, Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes questions whether the Nets will be able to get some value out of Simmons.

"Can Brooklyn find a way to play Simmons, who could help set up young players like Noah Clowney for success? Might they be able to rehab his value enough to actually trade him for some middling asset with bad long-term money attached? Simmons should probably be an afterthought for the Nets, who could justify benching him all year and letting his contract expire," Hughes writes. "But what if there's a way for Brooklyn to squeeze some value out of him before he's gone?

It will be extremely difficult to have a team trade for Simmons on a rental deal given his annual salary unless he plays close to the value of the deal. Considering he has only played in 57 games since the start of the 2021-22 season, it's hard to imagine a scenario where the Nets gain any value off the court with Simmons. The question remains if the team can salvage anything on the court.

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