NBA Trade Rumors: Spurs Salvage Ben Simmons From Nets?

The Brooklyn Nets could be looking to trade Ben Simmons this offseason, and the San Antonio Spurs could be the perfect team to deal him to.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 28, 2023

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San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs have a lot of cap space to work with this summer, even if their title window may not even be open for the foreseeable future.

Either the cap space gets used and the Spurs find a way to benefit from it, or it just rots away.

However, the Spurs might be able to fill it by trading for disgruntled Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons, who might be on the final legs of his career and looking for a fresh start ... one that San Antonio could provide.

"It seems clear Ben Simmons would benefit from a fresh start in a low-stakes environment, which makes the stable, rebuilding Spurs the ideal destination for his hypothetical career resuscitation," Bleacher Report writes.

Bleacher Report suggested that the Spurs could acquire Simmons for Doug McDermott and a 2023 first-round pick from the Phoenix Suns. It might not be worth it for the Spurs to withdraw a piece of their future for two years of Simmons, but San Antonio could negotiate a way to get some draft capital out of the Nets.

"If the Spurs demanded a first-rounder in exchange for all the cap relief they'd be giving the Nets, it wouldn't be out of bounds," Bleacher Report writes. "If Brooklyn determined Simmons' worth was too low to trade him at all, and that it might be better to wait and see if improved health opens up the market at the 2024 deadline, that might also be sensible."

Trading Simmons in the offseason as opposed to the trade deadline would likely be better for all parties involved, and a move to the Spurs and coach Gregg Popovich could be exactly what the former No. 1 overall pick needs.

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Published Apr 28, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.