It looked like the Ben Simmons era when NBA players were numbered. After missing the entire 2021-2022 season with a back injury after his trade from Philadelphia 76ers In Brooklyn NetSimmons returned to play only 43 games during the 2022-23 season with the 2023-24 campaign last year.
Simmons has got his career back on track this season, starting 24 online games with a total of 33 appearances. Brooklyn abandoned Simmons on Friday, one day after the 2025 NBA trade deadline, and suitors are already lined up for his services.
Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliersand Houston Rockets teeth Reportedly, he's interested in signing Simmons After he was bought by Brooklyn. Simmons needs a smaller role these days as his body starts to break down after a chronic back injury, but he's enough for a limited few minutes that the playoff team wants to ride him. It was effective.
Simmons averages 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists with true shooting of 56.2% per game this season. He still plagues fouls (he tried 26 free throws this year) that limits his effectiveness, but he can channel his first team's full defense with a short squirt . It's wild that Simmons thinks he's only 28 years old.
Rank Simmons suitors where he can actually influence his playoff wins.
3. Houston Rockets
The Rockets may not have a proven superstar yet (although Amen Thompson may be one), but Houston has one of the deepest rotations in the Western Conference. With the forward spot alone, the Rockets can slide Thompson to Dillon Brooks, Tallie Eason, Cam Whitmore, Jessine Tate or three.
Simmons' defensive abilities make him a perfect fit for the Imeudoka roster. Houston's defense is fourth in the NBA this year, and is a huge number of big, physical defenders who can hound the ball. It's still his best Simmons game and Udoka is the type of extremely intense coach who may be able to make the most of him.
I'm worried that Simmons will not be able to actually penetrate the spin here. Udoka has set such a high standard of excellence and already has so many options to go to in the forward spot. Rocket is a bad shooting team, ranking 28th in both the 3-point rating and the 3-point percentage. Simmons are a complete non-shooter that only exacerbates the interval.
Signing Simmons is great injury insurance and certainly there are playoff matchups that can make him convenient, but I like the Houston rotation as is.
2. LosAngeles Clippers
The Clippers looked like they were about to become Western conference doormats when Paul George left for the Philadelphia 76ers, and Kawi Leonard was on his knees at the start of the season. He was excluded due to maintenance of injuries. LA was able to modify the athletic defender and roster after George left. When Norm Powell spent his career as a scorer at age 31, the Clippers returned to the Western Conference Playoff Mix.
Overall, it was 28-23 after the trade deadline, with the Clippers currently the seventh-ranked seed in the West. LA's defense is already elite and ranked third in the league, and adding Simmons will double down on their identity. He would have major injuries insurance when Leonard is removed from a play-in or playoff game where he inevitably suffered an injury.
The Clippers have space for another defender after trading Tarance Mann for the Hawks for Bogdan Bogdanovic at deadline. Ty Lue is an elite head coach who can make the most of Simmons. I don't think Simmons cares about living in Los Angeles.
I'm a little worried about the distance between the Clippers and Simmons. They are only 23rd in the league with a 3-point rating, and adding Bogdanovic to make Leonard healthy will help, but this is still a team with Simmons on the floor and a bit of a shooting deficit. The Clippers are a good option for Simmons, but it's not the best.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cavs is the best basketball story of the year. Head coach Kenny Atkinson was hired in the offseason and was incredible to quickly lead the group to a 15-0 start. Cleveland is likely the number one seed in the East heading into the playoffs, except for a second-half collapse or a massive surge. Celtics.
Cleveland made a great move to strengthen the depth of its wings at trade deadlines by obtaining De'andre Hunter from the Hawks. The deal revealed that Cavs think they can win the title this year. Adding Simmons is beneficial for situational playoff matchups, even if he doesn't play a major role.
Everyone is eager to wait when they get the Cavs-Celtics Eastern Conference Finals. Simmons helped protect Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Cleveland couldn't play him with both Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley on the floor, but he managed to fit next to Mobley when the young big, big slide was in the center. The Cavs have a time interval to deal with him. Cleveland is fifth in the league on a three-point rating and number one with a three-point percentage, accounting for 39.4% of the triple.
The Cavs are in the league's number one attack. They are the eighth overall unit in the league and are not great in terms of defense. Simmons is not a game-changer at this stage of his career, but he can help Cavs in small roles, which is worth the signature.
