The Brooklyn Nets will be without Ben Simmons during Tuesday's home matchup with the Denver Nuggets. Playing the first game of a back-to-back, the team will hold out Simmons due to lower back injury management. It will mark the three-time All-Star's first absence of the season.

Simmons has started all three games of the Nets' games to open the year.

Nets managing Ben Simmons' workload amid extensive injury history

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons (10) signals to his teammates during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Barclays Center.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

It shouldn't be surprising that Simmons is missing a game during Brooklyn's first back-to-back. The Aussie has battled debilitating back injuries since joining the Nets. He was shut down midway through the last two seasons due to separate nerve impingements caused by bulging discs.

Simmons underwent surgery on a bulging disc in May, his second in two years.

However, the former No. 1 pick did not suffer a setback during training camp and said he felt far better than he did entering last season. While Simmons looks healthier than in prior years, he's struggled to make a noticeable impact on the floor.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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He's averaged 5.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game through three appearances. Despite his clean bill of health, he's continued to be unwilling to attack the basket and hunt his shot. Simmons has attempted a career-low 6.0 shots per 36 minutes and four total free throws.

Following Friday's road loss to the Orlando Magic, Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said he wants Simmons to attempt 10-15 shots per game. Yet, the 28-year-old attempted a season-low three shots during Sunday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks, two of which were tip-ins on the same play following a missed layup.

Simmons notably turned down an open lane to the basket off a steal late in the game, slowing down and passing the ball before fumbling a return pass.

With Simmons out of the lineup, Nic Claxton is the logical candidate to fill his place in Brooklyn's starting five. The sixth-year center has come off the bench during the Nets' first three games while playing on a minutes restriction as he returns from a hamstring injury.