1 New Year’s resolution for every team in 2024: Atlantic Division
By Tyler Key
Nets Resolution: Trade or buy-out Ben Simmons and officially move on.
Brooklyn needs… to trade or buy-out Ben Simmons and officially move on. The experiment has failed. The Nets simply need to cut their losses and accept that the Simmons of old will not be returning. He has played a mere 6 games this season, averaging a respectable but still underwhelming 6.5 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 10.8 RPG.
Simmons has played just 48 games across his entire tenure with the Nets. The once All-NBA caliber player who was the runner-up to be Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 has faded into the doldrums of the NBA.
The Nets have other core players that they should be prioritizing and Simmons is more of a distraction than anything else. There are probably a few sad NBA front offices who are willing to bet on Simmons (the Detroit PIstons and Washington Wizards come to mind), but If no NBA teams are willing to bite on a trade, buy him out.
Joe Tsai has the money for it. It would be similar to what the Rockets were forced to do with John Wall, but clearly they have come out a better franchise because of it in the long run. Brooklyn should not be afraid to do the same.