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In February, the Brooklyn Nets completed a blockbuster trade that brought three-time All-Star Ben Simmons to Brooklyn and had them send James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. But Simmons is in a peculiar situation. He has not played in an NBA game since last June, and he is fresh off of back surgery. So, he still has yet to play a game with the Nets. Brooklyn has remained adamant about trying to win a title now, and Simmons’ sporadic availability might not be what the Nets need in their quest to secure their franchise’s first championship.
In this latest trade proposal by FS1 analyst Nick Wright, he suggests a three-team trade between the Nets, Indiana Pacers, and Los Angeles Lakers that sends Simmons to the west coast.
“What about a different trade for a Net, that hasn’t actually played for the Nets. Rumor is he always wanted to be in Los Angeles. We don’t know if he will ever play for the Nets. And maybe it’s a three-way trade, and maybe the Nets do re-up Kyrie, and they say you know what, we are not comfortable having long-term deals in place for Kyrie and Ben Simmons. Two gigantic wildcards. Is there some type of Ben Simmons for Russell Westbrook and some picks out there?” Wright said during the May 30th episode of “First Things First”.
“Kyrie is there, a third team is involved. For example, what you’re saying about the Pacers. It’s [Malcolm] Brogdon and [Buddy] Hield to Brooklyn, Ben Simmons to Los Angeles, and Russell Westbrook and picks from both teams to Indiana. Brooklyn throws in some of their picks they got from Philly; Los Angeles throws in their own picks.”
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Nets Defer Sixers Draft Pick to 2023
As part of the Simmons, Harden swap, the Nets also received the Sixers’ first-round pick for this year but had the option to defer to use it in 2023. June 1 was the deadline for the Nets to decide whether or not they would use that pick this year. According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets have elected to wait until 2023 to use that pick.
“Among the assets gathered in the James Harden blockbuster trade, the Brooklyn Nets are deferring acquisition of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2022 first-round pick at No. 23 to the 2023 NBA draft. Brooklyn informed the league office of the team’s decision Wednesday, hours ahead of a midnight deadline,” Wojnarowski writes per ESPN.
“Deferring the pick allows the Nets to keep flexibility over an extended period on using that pick in trades — and gives them a roll of the dice that the pick could land higher on the draft board next year based upon the success of the Sixers’ coming season.”
Nets Facing Grim Decision With Kyrie Irving
Despite reports that the Nets are currently unwilling to sign their All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to a long-term deal, he is expected to remain with Brooklyn next season. But with the ever-unpredictable Irving, you never know. Kyrie has a player option on his contract for next season where he can either opt in to the final year or opt-out and become a free agent this summer.
The Nets have already given up a lot of good players in this new era. Jarrett Allen, James Harden, and Caris LeVert, to name a few. If Irving decides to jump ship, the Nets can arrange a sign and trade where they get assets back instead of just letting him walk for nothing. Brooklyn is facing a grim decision on Kyrie’s future this summer. Although he has not been consistently available, not having him on the roster would essentially take the Nets out of the title contender conversation.
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