If the Nets were considering trading Ben Simmons on the heels of the Kyrie Irving trade and ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, there isn’t much of anything they could get in return.
Asked how much trade value Simmons has, one NBA executive told NJ Advance Media: “Very little for the amount of money he makes.”
A second league source said Simmons has “zero” trade value.
Those comments confirm what ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported, that Simmons has no trade value.
Simmons, a former No. 1 pick, is set to make about $35 million this season, almost $38 million the year after and $40 million in 2024-25.
A three-time NBA All-Star, Simmons is averaging 7.4 points, 6.5 points and 6.4 assists for the Nets. If he remains with the team, Brooklyn will need him to play a bigger role in the post-Irving Era, although there is no guarantee he can be a consistent effective player.
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He has battled mental health and back issues along with inconsistency for the past several years. He didn’t play at all last season with the Sixers or Nets and was dealt to Brooklyn a year ago in the James Harden trade. He didn’t play in the first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics due to back issues, and then had surgery over the summer.
Kevin Boyle, who coached Simmons and Irving during their high school careers, told NJ Advance Media it’s “important” for Simmons to step it up heading toward the playoffs.
“I think Ben has been doing a good job in other areas but I think without question it would be helpful to the team and increase their chances to win if he would get more aggressive and say, ‘Let me take this to 13, 14 [points] a game, close to my offensive numbers, just at the rim, just to keep people honest because you don’t want people when you get to the elite teams in the playoffs game planning against that,” Boyle said last month at the Hoophall Classic at Springfield College.
“They’re not going to do it as much in a one-game scenario but they’re going to do it in a series so I think it’s important at this point with KD out that he turns that corner and starts getting back in double-figures.”
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
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