Reports: NBA insider believes Ben Simmons doesn’t have ‘any real trade value’ at this point
The Brooklyn Nets stubbornly held out hope that Ben Simmons would get back to All-Star form when they traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons, after not playing in over a year, has not looked like himself in the Nets’ early season struggles.
What has become alarming in Simmons’ past six games has been his total lack of confidence and impact on the game. Brooklyn often looks desperate, trying not to get blown away when the swingman is on the floor. There are already reports indicating that the team is already looking to trade him for a veteran shooter.
Jake Fischer, on “The Please Don’t Aggregate This” podcast, sees the Nets badly stuck with the struggling point forward:
“I don’t think he’s got any real trade value. I was talking to the team who has designs to rebuild Monday night when I was at Barclays Center. And like I asked that question, and I was told pretty point blank like that they would have been interested in him before the season started and seven-eight games later now that interest has dissipated."
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Ben Simmons’ numbers have significantly dropped since he last played for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is averaging just 6.2 points on 44.1% shooting in nearly 32 minutes of game time, which are all career lows. His rebounding (6.5 RPG), which has been badly needed by the Brooklyn Nets, has also been the worst of his career.
Nets fans who were expecting the best version of Simmons to come out in the first half of the season are likely desperate by now. The former Rookie of the Year winner is arguably worse than his traumatic series against the Atlanta Hawks during the 2021 semifinal playoff series.
The Brooklyn Nets don’t expect Ben Simmons to be aggressive with his shots, but he is now allergic to even attempting them. Just a month ago, he hilariously told JJ Redick on a podcast that he was going to shoot until they told him to stop.
Kyrie: "Shoot it Ben!" 😬 https://t.co/UyIFUykQsk
The opposite has been happening, however. A video clip of Kyrie Irving dishing to an open Ben Simmons just underneath the basket to shoot the ball went viral. The struggling former All-Star didn’t even bother to look at the rim.
The Brooklyn Nets are in a conundrum on how to give Ben Simmons his confidence back
The Brooklyn Nets’ most-used lineup this season features Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Royce O’Neale and Nic Claxton. They have been outscored by opponents by 14.2 points.
Replacing Simmons with Joe Harris, Brooklyn’s second most utilized five on the court, they outscored opponents by 18.6 points. Former coach Steve Nash used the struggling Simmons against their opponents’ second-string players to mask his deficiencies.
It has worked for some stretches but has largely been ineffective as well. On defense and rebounding, where his impact is most expected, he’s been mostly so-so. They’re currently dead last in defensive rating and second-worst in rebounding.
The Brooklyn Nets’ bumbling start isn’t solely on Ben Simmons, but if he can’t contribute on offense, he should do more on defense and rebounding. That hasn’t been the case and may never be the case this season.
Ben Simmons airball layup 🫤 https://t.co/6ArNO5i8uR
The only way for Simmons to get his confidence back is only through playing for as long and as often as necessary. He’s just been nearly unplayable and the Nets can’t keep losing games while their $35 million man shies away from even looking at the rim.