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With all of the turmoil surrounding this year’s NBA offseason perhaps the biggest basketball story of the summer has flown way under the radar. That would be the situation surrounding three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers. After a disappointing Game 7 loss at home courtesy of Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, multiple reports confirmed that the Sixers star wants out of Philadelphia.
Nick Wright is an analyst on Fox Sports 1’s hit morning show First Things First where he is known for offering up some of the most peculiar takes in sports. Wright believes that if Simmons is disgruntled in Philadelphia the Brooklyn Nets should throw their hat in the ring and trade Kyrie Irving in exchange for the former number one draft pick.
“I know this won’t happen, but as someone who has shorted the stock of the Nets, and been right, telling you right now Ben for Kyrie, if personalities weren’t a thing, basketball-wise, makes so much sense for Brooklyn, makes them an overwhelming favorite in the east,” Wright said in a transcript obtained from Sixers Wire. “Overwhelming and maybe overwhelming favorite overall, but that’s not happening because of the relationships.”
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Kendrick Perkins Says Warriors Are Not Good Fit for Ben Simmons
Simmons for his career averages 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. He is also an elite perimeter defender as he has been voted NBA First Team All-Defense in each of the last two seasons. Simmons is still one of the top players in the league but the one knock on his game is an abysmal one. That would be his three-point shooting as he shoots just 14.7% from beyond the arc for his career.
With that being the case, a team like the Golden State Warriors who have two elite shooters in Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry to space the floor for Simmons seems like a perfect fit. Not according to retired NBA center Kendrick Perkins who thinks the Sixers star’s ideal team is the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“You know what? To be honest, I would say no, not really,” Perkins said of the Warriors being a good fit for Simmons per Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson of Bally Sports.
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Perkins Believes Timberwolves Are ‘Perfect’ Fit for Simmons
“When I look at Ben Simmons, I look at a guy that’s a more athletic version of [Domantas] Sabonis, right? For the Pacers. And I feel like a perfect fit for Ben Simmons would be a team like Minnesota, right? The Timberwolves, where he could surround himself with young talent like Anthony Edwards. A stretch big like Karl Anthony-Towns who loves to stretch the floor with a pick-and-pop big,” Perkins continued.
“Ben Simmons could be the facilitator or be the dribble-hand-off guy or be a lob threat at the basket… those types of things,” Perkins continued. “I feel like Ben Simmons is a guy that needs to be on a team where he doesn’t have outside distractions.”
The saga between Simmons and the 76ers is far from over, but the reality is that a trade with the Nets is unlikely. Despite suffering a multitude of injuries throughout the regular season and the playoffs the Nets were a possession or two away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. You would have to think the Nets will run it back at least one more time with a fully healthy squad before making any major changes to the roster.
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