On Monday, Steve Nash shared the disappointing but not surprising update that Ben Simmons will be out through the remaining four games and the play-in tournament, set to tipoff on April 12. The Brooklyn Nets have been without the third All-Star on their roster ever since they traded James Harden and Paul Millsap for Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks from the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons hasn't appeared in a basketball game since June 2021, and some are wondering if this trade was really worth it.

Fans are now prepared to be without the first overall pick out of LSU for the remainder of the season. On last week's episode of the Nothing But Nets podcast, we unpacked some of the key questions that have unfortunately arisen here for Nets Nation.

Ben Simmons-Nets questions

Will we see Simmons at any point this season?

NBN co-host Greg Dennis isn't wondering about Simmons at this point.

“I'm not wondering anymore,” Dennis said. “I'm assuming we're not gonna see him this year … but now I think with this latest update from [Steve] Nash, to me it just seems, maybe 85 percent now, that he's probably not gonna play this year.”

Did the Nets know or think this was possible before they made the trade?

Here's my take on the situation.

“No, I don't believe so, I don't think they would have done the trade [as is] if they didn't think he could play this season. I think they did their due diligence obtaining him in the trade. … On the MRI, they knew he had the nerve impingement dating back to 2020 but he had his best season, perhaps to date, in 2021 after that issue was in his rearview.”

The Nets clearly didn't know Simmons would experience a flareup in his back while ramping up for a return in February. They've made clear he passed his physical, his MRI looked OK to them, and they have indicated that Simmons was by all accounts a physical specimen, having worked out the past 5-6 months for 5-6 days per week, per coach Steve Nash.

Still, they know being in game shape is a different animal. That's why this team is so conservative with their return-to-play reconditioning program. Or to use the buzz phrase fans will never not associate with the 2022 season: ramp up.

If the Nets somehow had a crystal ball and learned Simmons may not play in 2022 back on Feb. 9, they'd have asked the Sixers for much more in return for Harden. When the Sixers inevitably balked, I think they would have stood pat and pushed forward with their squad. Where would they be? Harden has clearly lost a step or two, but he might have them in the running for a No. 5 or 6 seed if he'd stayed. Now that Kyrie Irving is back on a full-time basis, they'd seemingly be in a pretty good spot. They'd still be risking him leaving them for nothing in free agency, and there would have been questions about his mindset after the deadline.

Still, Harden would have needed to leave upwards of $60 million on the table to join the Sixers this summer. There are so many unknowns it seems like the Nets still got a great return on their deal. It's just that Simmons' post-deadline injury dampens the short-term outlook. And, unfortunately, led by a 33-year-old Kevin Durant in the midst of another career season, the short term is what matters most.

If the Nets make the second round, would they risk bringing a unique player like Simmons back?

We've seen this question asked in many ways, and some who have covered Simmons in the past think it's risky not simply from an injury setback standpoint, but risky in how it might impact the Nets' offensive composition:

Here is what Dennis said about this idea on the pod.

“I just think he's such a big upgrade over anyone else. You know I'm talking about guys like James Johnson, I don't know, Blake Griffin's corpse, whoever else they wanna throw out there. I just feel like he's one of those guys where you say, ‘Well, we gotta at least see what we got here because this could open up an entirely different dimension, this could raise our ceiling.' And even if they get to that third round you're still looking at having to beat an elite team in the conference finals and then if they get past that, it's probably your toughest challenge yet if you're playing, say, Phoenix. I agree, if he's healthy, if he gets medical clearance, that's why you made the trade. You made the trade in part because you're trying to win a title this year.”

I couldn't agree more. The Nets still have some weak links in their rotation. A healthy Simmons presents a clear upgrade over several options we're likely to see in the play-in.

So, there you have it. Our feelings are basically that Simmons isn't coming back this season because the back issue is too severe. We don't think the team would have made the trade as they did (maybe they'd ask for several more picks) if they magically knew Simmons would suffer a severe setback post deadline. We think if he is somehow medically cleared (we gave this about 15 percent chance to happen if the Nets make at least the second round of the playoffs), the team won't have any on-court reservations in deploying their versatile, All-NBA-caliber weapon, since Simmons clearly raises their championship ceiling. They might absolutely need him in order to slow down a player like Devin Booker should they get that far. Hopefully, they can stay alive long enough to make that decision.

But, for now, that's just hope, and for now it's fair to wonder if this was trade was the right one to make at this time.