The Golden State Warriors will be looking to add shooting and more overall offense this offseason, with greatersupport needed for the star duo of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
On paper Ben Simmons provides the opposite of that, having been the epitome of an unwilling shooter throughout his entire career, while becoming a complete non-scoring threat since his early days with the Philadephia 76ers.
Yet that hasn’t stopped Simmons from being floated as a free agency option for the Warriors this offseason, with Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated suggesting that the franchise must consider the 3x All-Star after ending this season with the pacific rival L.A. Clippers.
The Warriors should only consider Ben Simmons under one condition
The former No. 1 overall pick could indeed be available on a minimum contract, with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reporting on Wednesday that the futures of Simmons and Amir Coffey at the Clippers are “not certain.”
For all his weaknesses and health issues over recent years, Simmons is still a 6’10” ball-handling playmaker which could make him a back up option to both Curry and Draymond Green according to Stinar.
“If the Warriors had a player such as Simmons, he could provide depth as a point guard behind Curry (who is going to turn 38 next season),” Stinar wrote. “With the size that Simmons brings, he also has the ability to help Draymond Green as a backup center defensively.”
The initial point remains though — Golden State need more shooting rather than another player who’s not going to be respected beyond the restricted circle. Simmons could still prove of value to a few teams around the league, but to be considered by the Warriors it would have to be under the condition of Green being traded beforehand.
Having both on the roster should be considered needless given their overlapping skillset and subsequent inability to share the floor together. A previous, more athletic version of Simmons may have allowed it to work, but the player we’ve seen in recent years is far too limited.
Simmons is still only 28-years-old, but has played just 108 games in the past four seasons. He averaged just 2.9 points in 16.4 minutes across his 18 appearances with the Clippers, having averaged more rebounds (3.8) and assists (3.1).
Given it would still be a shock to see Green traded in the coming weeks, the idea of the Warriors showing free agency interest in Simmons should be viewed as extremely unlikely.
