The Ben Simmons Era in Brooklyn is not going well. The 2015 No. 1 overall pick has already missed a third of the Brooklyn Nets games (5/15), and when he does play, it’s not pretty. Simmons is averaging career lows in minutes (26.6), points (5.8), rebounds (6.1), assists (5.6), steals (1.1), and blocks (0.5). A Nets trade involving Simmons would probably be best for all involved. The Nets need to win games now, and the pressure of being on a supposed contender with superstars like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the New York media market isn’t ideal for Simmons getting his career back on track. So, what are the best Ben Simmons trade destinations for the player himself? That’s what we’ll look at here as we rank the best fresh start destinations for the Nets star.
Charlotte Hornets
One of the best things for Ben Simmons in 2022 would be to get him out of the white-hot spotlight of the big city, Northeast media. After starting his career in Philadelphia and trying to restart in Brooklyn, Simmons could use some time in a place without reporters breathing down his neck at every step.
A Ben Simmons trade destination that fits this bill is the Charlotte Hornets.
Charlotte is in the bottom third of the league in terms of media market side, so the locker room is decidedly quieter than in Brooklyn or Philadelphia. And since the Hornets are 4-12 and in 14th place in the East right now, it’s not like the national media is banging on the door.
A Nets trade of Ben Simmons for either Gordon Hayward straight up or Terry Rozier and Mason Plumlee would work from a financial perspective. The deal the Nets pick, though, matters less than what it will do for Simmons’ career.
LaMelo Ball has only played two games this season and is out again with an injury. That means Michael Jordan’s franchise is about to (if they haven’t already) give up the season, tank for Victor Wembanyama, and plan for 2023-24 and beyond.
This is an ideal ecosystem for Simmons to work his way back to NBA form with barely anyone watching.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs — who play in an even smaller media market than Charlotte and are also below .500 and likely tanking — have a lot of the advantages for Ben Simmons that the Hornets offer. They also have something else that could be incredibly helpful for Simmons’ rehabilitation, and that’s an all-time great coach in Gregg Popovich.
Doc Rivers couldn’t get Simmons’ mind right, and neither could Steve Nash or Jacque Vaughn. However, with all due respect, none of those coaches are Gregg Popovich.
Popovich will turn 74 in January, and with five NBA championships, an Olympic gold medal, and three NBA Coach of the Year Awards, he wouldn’t still be coaching if he didn’t have things he still wanted to prove.
It seems like going through a successful rebuild is part of what Popovich wants to do in his old age, and rehabilitating one of the most mercurial stars in NBA history could be a part of that project.
To make San Antonio a Ben Simmons trade destination, the Spurs could send veterans Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson to the Nets for Simmons.
And in the end, if “Pop” can’t get inside Simmons’ head and turn him around, chances are that no one can.
Golden State Warriors
For the third and final of the best Ben Simmons trade destinations for a fresh start, let’s keep the legendary coach aspect but put Simmons on a winner instead of letting him toil in small-market obscurity.
Ben Simmons for Draymond Green and Ty Jerome would be a Warriors-Nets trade that would work financially. In this scenario, though, the players (or really player) going out matters, too.
The Warriors need to shake things up after a 6-9 start, and shipping out Green would be one serious way to do that. Plus, part of the reason the Warriors are such an intriguing destination for Simmons is that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are much more positive superstars than Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the volatile Green.
For Simmons, he would get with a great motivator in Steve Kerr, and become part of the Warriors culture like another star in need of NBA rehab, Andrew Wiggins, did a year ago.
Going from an organization with no culture at all (or a bad culture at best) like the Nets to a winning organization like the Warriors with teammates like Thompson and Curry could do wonders for Simmons and possibly bring out the talent that the 76ers saw coming out of LSU six years ago.
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