Getty Ben Simmons guarding Trae Young.
Outside of a few roster spots, the Los Angeles Lakers are set for the upcoming season. They have a superstar trio between LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook, and have notable role players in Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony. However, that’s not stopping more players from wanting to join the team.
It’s seeming more likely that Ben Simmons won’t be returning to the Philadelphia 76ers. He was never a great fit with Joel Embiid and that was evident in the playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. In Games 5-7, Simmons scored a combined 19 points en route to a series loss. It’s time for a fresh start and where he wants to end up is narrowing down. According to Jason Dumas KRON4 News, Simmons’ relationship with the 76ers is “beyond repair” and would like to play for a California team, which would narrow his choices to the Lakers, Clippers or Warriors.
Ben Simmons’ relationship reportedly “beyond repair” is ignoring Joel Embiid’s phone calls. Doesn’t want to get traded to Raptors or Blazers. Open to getting traded to one of the California teams according to @JDumasReports on @957thegame t.co/ouFTf7eBnw
Now, take this report with a grain of salt as Dumas is a Bay Area reporter and not a Philadelphia reporter. That said, this does make sense. Simmons just recently bought a big mansion in Los Angeles and has certain Hollywood aspects to his lifestyle.
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Simmons Isn’t Coming to Lakers This Season
As much as Simmons might like it, he’s not going to either Los Angeles team. The Lakers’ roster is all but set and there’s no way they could afford him without trading one of the superstars. Simmons wouldn’t be an upgrade over Westbrook as neither of them can shoot well.
He also won’t be able to go to the Clippers unless Kawhi Leonard decides to he wants to go to Philadelphia in a sign-and-trade. It’s almost impossible to see that happening. Simmons is a great defender and a solid playmaker on offense, but his shooting and free throw woes are a serious problem. He’s not the type of player the Lakers need right now. Perhaps coming to Los Angeles could be in his future but as of right now, it appears the Warriors are his best shot at joining a California team.
LeBron Defends Lakers’ Roster
Until the season finally gets started, there are going to be major questions concerning the Lakers’ roster. The team is set to be very old as they have five players who are 35 or older. Now, old doesn’t necessarily mean bad but considering the team has had a hard time staying healthy, it’s certainly a concern.
LeBron James heard the noise and sent a stern message to the doubters in a now-deleted tweet.
ok hes back with a few adjustments
At the end of the day, the Lakers can’t prove anybody wrong until they get on the court. It sounds like LeBron is getting a bit of extra motivation this season which should be exciting for fans of the team. People forget that the Lakers were largely counted out during their championship run last year. They ended up proving a lot of people wrong then and could do it again this year.
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Lakers Rumors: 3-Time All-Star Wants to Get Traded to ‘California Team’