'21-'22 Roster Construction

[inthepaint]

The trading team would have to be absolutely convinced they can reclaim him for Simmons to reach Butler or Lowry value level.

Yeah in terms of present value, Lowry is actually the better, more impactful player. He's 10 years older than Simmons though, so that makes them somewhat equivalent imo, with maybe a late pick going either way to even out.

For Philly as a team though, given their current win-now window and Embiid as Centre (a position Lowry is known to greatly elevate), Klow is exactly what they need, whereas Simmons is looking like a failed experiment as a fit with Embiid.

[JawsGT]

Simmons would be a bad get IMO. I cant see the fit here, regardless of the position he plays. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective offensively, and if he gets it thats less ball handling duties for guys like OG and GTJr, whom I believe need more opportunity in that role. Pascals suspect 3pt shooting would also be problematic with Simmons on the floor. If you don't fit well next to Embiid then I don't see any reason why we should want that type of player, because just about every non-center player in the league should fit well next to Embiid. Giannis, perhaps, but he is 100 times better than Simmons. And Giannis could easily slot into the C position on our team anyways.

[golden]

Simmons would be a bad get IMO. I cant see the fit here, regardless of the position he plays. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective offensively, and if he gets it thats less ball handling duties for guys like OG and GTJr, whom I believe need more opportunity in that role. Pascals suspect 3pt shooting would also be problematic with Simmons on the floor. If you don't fit well next to Embiid then I don't see any reason why we should want that type of player, because just about every non-center player in the league should fit well next to Embiid. Giannis, perhaps, but he is 100 times better than Simmons. And Giannis could easily slot into the C position on our team anyways.

It's kind of hilarious that Simmons needs the ball in his hands to have an impact, but you can kill that impact by fouling him when it matters.

[LJ2]

Then they won't be able to move him. There's no team out there giving up a star player for a floor shrinking "point guard" who never passed the 2nd round, doesn't want to play PF/C, and is eating 35M of your cap (going up to 40M in the next 2 years). I'd peg Simmons value right now similar to Butler's or Lowry's: a prospect & pick with the required salary filler.

There are cases where players which don't fit their teams, are on bad contracts, or where teams blow it up will get traded for each other. Wall and Westbrook come to mind.

Dames super max contract is casting a huge shadow over the Blazers' chances to improve that roster. He can talk about loyalty all he wants, but from the management/ownership side how much longer do you stay committed to a futile cause? Same with Beal and Washington.

Also, when a disgruntled star becomes available Philly will have an all star with term left on their contract as the center piece of a package which is desirable for teams put into that position.

[slaw]

The trading team would have to be absolutely convinced they can reclaim him for Simmons to reach Butler or Lowry value level.

Only started reading some stuff about Simmons recently and not much of it is very good. His tenure at LSU was a farce and he did everything he could to make the situation worse (didn't know anything about this cause I don't watch college ball). Then you have his annual January-February burst just in time for all star voting. His brother is his shooting coach (after he refused to work with a guy Brett Brown hired). Rivers and Embiid not backing him publicly and a new front office actively shopping him after 1 year.

You get the sense from the LSU episode to the stuff being said in Philly that everyone has always bent over backward for him but he never could be bothered to reciprocate. Can only get away with that for so long.

[inthepaint]

Sell him on playing a Marc Gasol role while he works on his shooting range with competent coaches. No reason someone can't improve their shooting unless they have a genetic abnormality, physical or mental. And even then their are thousands of examples of athletes facing many different kinds of disabilities who succeed beyond all expectation. Sell Simmons on the Raptors as being the team that will finally give him the opportunity to be the kind of basketball player he was meant to be. They resurrected Kyle, Kawhi and have a history of turning late round picks or even undrafted players into big time contributors. Next up is Simmons.

Good points, but the thing is Simmons is also unexplainably smug for someone who hasn't done much in the playoffs. I agree that the best position for him given his skillset is modern Centre at the dunker spot. Word is it that this has been put forth to him but he didn't accept it.

The reality is, other then Simmons, there's no perimeter player in the nba that doesn't shoot and make 35M. That combination doesn't exist in 200+ nba perimeter players.

The highest paid non-shooting player in the league is probably Gobert at 25M: A Centre that has been in the top 5 defenders in this league for years (3 times DPOY). Simmons is a lot closer to that than a point guard. Point guards on that kind of contract (~35M) are Steph Curry and Lillard, so-so defenders but among the best, rangiest shooters in history, who create a massive amount of space for your overall offence with their gravity. Guys guarding Lillard are now up to a point where they have to watch for screens at the logo, otherwise Lillard will just hoist it form there and make them. That creates a whole new area in the half-court for wings to cut wreak havoc. That's the polar opposite of Simmons, where defenders just retreat to the paint to double Embiid with impunity.

Simmons should either play to his strengths and move to Centre, or learn to shoot so he can space the floor as point-guards in this league need to do. Both options require some humbleness and willingness to change. He's only 25, so not impossible, but he's gotta start now.

[chris]

Good points, but the thing is Simmons is also unexplainably smug for someone who hasn't done much in the playoffs. I agree that the best position for him given his skillset is modern Centre at the dunker spot. Word is it that this has been put forth to him but he didn't accept it.

The reality is, other then Simmons, there's no perimeter player in the nba that doesn't shoot and make 35M. That combination doesn't exist in 200+ nba perimeter players.

The highest paid non-shooting player in the league is probably Gobert at 25M: A Centre that has been in the top 5 defenders in this league for years (3 times DPOY). Simmons is a lot closer to that than a point guard. Point guards on that kind of contract (~35M) are Steph Curry and Lillard, so-so defenders but among the best, rangiest shooters in history, who create a massive amount of space for your overall offence with their gravity. Guys guarding Lillard are now up to a point where they have to watch for screens at the logo, otherwise Lillard will just hoist it form there and make them. That creates a whole new area in the half-court for wings to cut wreak havoc. That's the polar opposite of Simmons, where defenders just retreat to the paint to double Embiid with impunity.

Simmons should either play to his strengths and move to Centre, or learn to shoot so he can space the floor as point-guards in this league need to do. Both options require some humbleness and willingness to change. He's only 25, so not impossible, but he's gotta start now.

not for nothing but that was his last contract... i believe his extension is the third largest contract in league history, and varies between 35M next year and 47M at the end of it

[golden]

not for nothing but that was his last contract... i believe his extension is the third largest contract in league history, and varies between 35M next year and 47M at the end of it

And Gobert just got played off the court when it mattered most.... by Nic Batum and Marcus Morris.

[The Claw Reborn]

Every offseason there is always that first domino to fall that would start the ball rolling. It would be interesting who would that be.

I predict, it would be Lillard.

[Ebonhawke]

From Hoopsrumors


The Kings are among the “known suitors” who would like to get Ben Simmons from the Sixers, but they aren’t likely to part with De’Aaron Fox, sources tell Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Numerous reports have stated that Philadelphia is putting a high asking price on Simmons and is hoping to get an All-Star player in return. Fox hasn’t been an All-Star yet, but he has been extremely productive in his first four NBA seasons and is part of the young foundation in Sacramento. He averaged 25.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 58 games this year while shooting 47.7% from the field and 32.2% from three-point range. He’s also under contract for the next five years.
Anderson states that the Kings are more likely to offer a package that includes shooting guard Buddy Hield, power forward Marvin Bagley III and multiple future first-round picks. A league source told Anderson that Sacramento would have to give up at least three first-rounders to make the deal work, while another source said the Sixers wouldn’t have any interest unless Fox or rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton is part of the offer.
Hield would fill a need for the Sixers, who ranked 23rd in the league in made three-pointers this season, Anderson notes. He’s a career 40.6% shooter from beyond the arc and holds the league record for most three-pointers made in his first five seasons.
Bagley is a talented young player who so far is best known for being selected ahead of Luka Doncic and Trae Young in the 2018 draft. He has missed a combined 108 games due to injury in first three NBA seasons and has been part of public disputes with the Kings about playing time and his future with the organization.

[S.R.]

Again, you take the ball out of Ben Simmons' hands, move him to the dunker spot, and congratulations you're paying $35m for Clint Capela. Except Clint Capela actually wants to do that job and it's hard to see BS taking that on willingly.

BS needs to have the ball in his hands, get out in transition, and initiate offence. If he's not doing that for you, then you're overpaying him dramatically. He's a real catch-22 right now.

His defence is great and even with all this going on, I'd take a flier on him for Lowry/Boucher/2nd. That's a low cost for the gamble on the Raptors end and I don't really see any regrets even if it doesn't work out.

I don't see Simmons improving his shot at this point and certainly wouldn't bank on it. I'd bank on NN being a much more creative basketball mind than 99% of the population and would be counting on him to figure out how to make this work.

And it works pretty much fine in the regular season, btw. The Ben Simmons experience doesn't get to these crisis moments until crunch time in tight playoff series. Certainly hope he's a guy you can have on the floor at that point. Maybe it's just those moments you have him move over to the dunker spot and make sure you've also got the depth and reps to run the offence through other guys. That kind of flexibility for various scenarios is a NN speciality.

[golden]

From Hoopsrumors


The Kings are among the “known suitors” who would like to get Ben Simmons from the Sixers, but they aren’t likely to part with De’Aaron Fox, sources tell Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Numerous reports have stated that Philadelphia is putting a high asking price on Simmons and is hoping to get an All-Star player in return. Fox hasn’t been an All-Star yet, but he has been extremely productive in his first four NBA seasons and is part of the young foundation in Sacramento. He averaged 25.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 58 games this year while shooting 47.7% from the field and 32.2% from three-point range. He’s also under contract for the next five years.
Anderson states that the Kings are more likely to offer a package that includes shooting guard Buddy Hield, power forward Marvin Bagley III and multiple future first-round picks. A league source told Anderson that Sacramento would have to give up at least three first-rounders to make the deal work, while another source said the Sixers wouldn’t have any interest unless Fox or rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton is part of the offer.
Hield would fill a need for the Sixers, who ranked 23rd in the league in made three-pointers this season, Anderson notes. He’s a career 40.6% shooter from beyond the arc and holds the league record for most three-pointers made in his first five seasons.
Bagley is a talented young player who so far is best known for being selected ahead of Luka Doncic and Trae Young in the 2018 draft. He has missed a combined 108 games due to injury in first three NBA seasons and has been part of public disputes with the Kings about playing time and his future with the organization.

Morey is in La La Land.

[S.R.]

The supermax being an attempt to help small market teams keep their stars, but simultaneously handicapping their cap space, is kind of hilarious. The value of the supermax (over and above a regular max) shouldn't count against the cap or something. Because "congrats on paying John Wall $47 million dollars!" isn't exactly a win for small market teams. If you aren't giving that kind of money to a legit top 5, MVP-calibre player, it's actually a huge challenge for roster building.

[inthepaint]

not for nothing but that was his last contract... i believe his extension is the third largest contract in league history, and varies between 35M next year and 47M at the end of it

Thank you - yeah that is right, I thought he was indeed on the 35M range. Goes to show you can get paid that much without a shot, but you gotta play to your strenghts and be an outstanding rim protector and DPOY caliber like Gobert to make up for it.

[chris]

And Gobert just got played off the court when it mattered most.... by Nic Batum and Marcus Morris.

totally. i was very against the idea of gobert as some sort of "plan B" for giannis for that exact reason. that contract might alredy be one of the worst in the league