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Golden State Warriors: Why they shouldn’t trade for Ben Simmons

By Josh Cornelissen

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 23: Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a shot against Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers at Chase Center on March 23, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 23: Jordan Poole #3 of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a shot against Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers at Chase Center on March 23, 2021 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors
Ben Simmons, Golden State Warriors Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images /

Why they shouldn’t trade for Ben Simmons: Losing Andrew Wiggins

To trade for Ben Simmons, the Golden State Warriors would have to trade Andrew Wiggins to match salaries. As a pure value play that would seem worth it, as Wiggins has been a disappointment since he was taken first overall and has largely been seen around the league as a major negative on his current contract.

Yet the Warriors also have to acknowledge they have no one to directly replace Wiggins if they do send him out. Defensively Simmons would step right into the role as wing stopper, and combined with a returning Klay Thompson be confident of defending on the wing.

Offensively the problem rears its head. Wiggins was the secondary shot creator alongside Stephen Curry last season, a role Ben Simmons would be hard-pressed to fill. When you add in that Wiggins has developed his outside shot to keep defenses honest, the comparison fractures even further. The former Minnesota Timberwolves wing hit 38 percent of his 3-pointers last season.

It’s possible the Warriors could look elsewhere to find Wiggins’ offensive replacement. Jordan Poole is growing as an offensive player and can create off-the-dribble while spacing the floor when he doesn’t have the ball. They could look to draft a player such as Franz Wagner or James Bouknight to juice the offense. A veteran such as Rudy Gay or Carmelo Anthony could be a cheap source of bench points.

If the Warriors do pull the trigger on such a trade, they have some options, but the reality is that they would lose something valuable that Wiggins provides. It’s not like Wiggins was a poor defender last year, rather showing he had a lot of undiscovered defense potential as a wing stopper and even on-ball shot blocker. The trade-off might not be worth it for the Warriors who have rehabilitated Wiggins into a very useful player.

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