The Nets are fourth in the East but Ben Simmons certainly isn’t helping their cause.
His poor performances have been highlighted even further as the team relies on him and Kyrie Irving to notch wins in Kevin Durant’s absence.
The team is only 3-9 without Durant and in two games Simmons has failed to score a single point.
The former All-Star is averaging a career low of 7.4 points. 6.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists and Nets coach Jacques Vaughn has even been benching him late in games.
Some believe this warrants a potential trade but others say he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“As for trading Simmons, good luck with that,” John Hollinger of The Athletic wrote. “The Nets would need to attach draft picks, not receive them, and — last I checked — they need a permission slip from the Rockets to do anything with any of their draft capital. I just don’t see any cap situation right now on another roster where exchanging for Simmons would be helpful, and that won’t change unless either Simmons plays better or another player on a huge contract plays badly enough that trading him for Simmons becomes palatable.”
Many in the NBA community have suggested the team should explore their options ahead of the February 9 trade deadline, but one insider believes with other uncertainties surrounding the team, Simmons will be staying put for now.
“Not at the deadline,” a league source told Heavy Sports. “I mean, look, if a perfect offer comes along, they would have to take it…But what they do next is so up in the air. [General manager Sean Marks] does not know if he will be back, Kyrie does not know if he will be back, they have no idea whether KD is going to want out again…the fact is, they’re as up in the air as much as any franchise in the league at this point.”