One of the more well-known players that is still a free agent is Ben Simmons. The former first overall pick played for both the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers last season, but the Clippers only signed him to a deal for the remainder of the season after Brooklyn bought him out, so he became a free agency this offseason.
Although nothing has happened yet, the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks may be interested in signing the former All-Star. Bobby Marks of ESPN provided an update on Simmons’ condition and the reasons behind its delayed progress.
“Simmons is facing a financial crisis. He is among the almost 75 players who were still without a home for the upcoming season despite having a roster at the end of the regular season.
The main cause? The 41 players who were chosen in the draft and signed first- and second-round contracts come first. Simmons and other veterans have been replaced by those players on the rosters for the upcoming campaign.
Many of the veterans have been replaced by less expensive rookies on guaranteed contracts, so Simmons is not the only player who is dealing with this. There are extremely brilliant players who are unable to find a place in the NBA, which is one of the reasons the league would like to expand soon.
“Also, teams other than Golden State,” Maarks went on, “have mostly finished their rosters for the upcoming season or are unable to add a player because of the cap. For instance, the Lakers are unable to sign a player until January 18 despite having an available roster position.
393 of the 442 players signed for the upcoming season have guaranteed contracts, which is an average of 13.1 per team.
Simmons might simply be waiting for teams like the Clippers and Lakers, who do have free roster spaces but not enough tax apron space, to be able to sign someone else. There aren’t many non-guaranteed contracts to choose from, and teams are unwilling to renounce a young player on a guaranteed contract for someone like Simmons.
Ben Simmons is best suited for whom?
The Knicks are probably the most logical of the two teams that have reached out to Simmons thus far. Simmons can contribute some additional playmaking, and they could use some additional frontcourt depth behind Josh Hart and next to Gueschon Yabusele.
At this point in his career, Simmons is probably on a minimum contract, but the Knicks need depth. With the addition of Jordan Clarkson and Yabusele this summer, they’ve done well, but they still need more.
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