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2025 Free Agents - Ben Simmons

After making three straight All-Star games from 2019-2021 (and even an All-NBA team in 2020), Simmons had some playoff struggles in the 76ers playoff loss to the Hawks, including the infamous open layup he passed up, which was the beginning of the end of his time in Philadelphia. Unfortunately with Simmons, the first thing to talk about currently is his health, which has been a major factor for his fall from grace. He missed the entire '21-'22 season, only played in 42 games in '22-'23, and just 15 games in '23-'24. In his prime, Simmons was an elite transition threat because he had the athleticism to dunk on defenders, and the size and vision to make passing reads that smaller guards simply couldn't make. He was always a good rim finisher, never shooting below 66% at the rim in a single season, including recent seasons. Part of that was him being somewhat selective, but the efficiency numbers were solid. He never developed a jump shot, as he never has had less than 93% of his field goal attempts come from the rim or floater range, according to Cleaning the Glass. That was always going to be a problem for him, especially in the playoffs when defenses could scheme against him more. Defensively, Simmons was one of the best in the league during his prime, making 1st Team All-Defense in both 2020 and 2021. He moved really well laterally, and could use his size to bother guards or scale up and defender larger wings. He was disruptive, posting high steal rates by jumping passing lanes or using his hands to swipe ball-handlers in helpside dig situations. He also could provide some secondary rim protection, posting good block rates. Simmons also rebounded well on both ends of the ball. In recent seasons, Simmons just hasn't looked like the same athletic force that allowed him to be successful earlier in his career. If his back injuries, along with age (Simmons will be 29 years old as a free agent in 2025), have just sapped him of that athleticism to the point he'll never get close to where he used to be, it's hard to see him being very effective on the court. If he can get healthy, he has the size and basketball IQ to be effective, but probably needs to develop at least somewhat of a jump shot in order to be a good role player.

Summary

Simmons will be an unrestricted free agent with a $44.7 million cap hold and full Bird Rights, meaning the Nets will have no restrictions on re-signing him. Since the Nets will most likely be operating over the cap, and since his cap hold exceeds his likely starting salary, his cap hold is not really relevant. Depending on how close the Nets are to the luxury tax after free agency, if Simmons is brought back by the Nets on a multi-year contract they could benefit from frontloading his contract, as it could give them additional flexibility in the future. For other teams, if Simmons demands a starting salary of more than the full $14.1 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, only teams with cap space will be able to sign him, unless a sign-and-trade is worked out. It's possible however that Simmons could be had for the full MLE or less, including possibly as low as the minimum.

Cap Considerations

Victor Oladipo (1 year minimum, 2021) Russell Westbrook (1+1 year minimum, 2024) Jonathan Isaac (5 years, $78 million, partial guarantees, 2024)

Player/Contract Comparison

Potential Teams: Clippers, Pacers, Lakers, Suns, Heat

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $3.3 million ($2.3 million cap hit) with the Clippers

Last updated: 9/26/2024

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