Ben Simmons drawing interest with Nets buyout now a possibility
With the NBA trade deadline passed, it’s now on to the buyout market.Ben Simmons could very well be on it.The Nets have been speaking with Simmons about a potential buyout, and the former All-Star is expected to have robust options to pick from if an agreement is reached and he becomes a free agent.The Post reported over the weekend that the Nets hadn’t yet engaged Simmons on a buyout but that the situation could change.
Now, it has.Cleveland, Houston and the Clippers are among the teams to watch for his services, according to ESPN.The Cavaliers are the top seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Rockets and Clippers entered Thursday third and sixth in the West, respectively.Simmons is averaging 6.2 points, 6.9 assists and 5.2 rebounds this season.
He’s played 33 of the Nets’ 49 games entering Friday’s tilt vs.Miami.
This marks the most available to play Simmons has been since 2021-21 while he was with the 76ers.The veteran had missed 189 of 246 games over the prior three seasons with herniated discs and nerve impingements that forced two microscopic partial discectomies, the second occurring a year ago next month.While he’s no longer his old All-Star self, he’s finally at a point where he can stay on the court and contribute.Simmons is in the final season of a five-year, $177.2 million deal.He’s making $40.3 million this season, paid quarterly; that’s relevant because it directly impacts his potential landing spots even if he does become a free agent.Due to a quirk in the CBA, teams that are over the first apron are not permitted to ink a player who is waived and had a preexisting salary of $12.8 million.
That means even if Simmons gets bought out, he can’t sign with the Celtics, Nuggets, Lakers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Knicks or Suns.After being acquired at the deadline three years ago, the injured Simmons failed to play a game for the Nets that season.He logged 42 mostly ineffective appearances in 2022-23 and 15 a season later.But this sea...