{"id":117750,"date":"2025-11-06T09:45:03","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T09:45:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=117750"},"modified":"2025-11-06T09:45:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T09:45:03","slug":"%f0%9f%9a%a8lineup-shakeup-warriors-could-cut-ties-with-a-young-center-to-make-room-for-a-former-all-star-sending-speculation-into-overdrive-as-analysts-and-insiders-debate-the-teams-next-bi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=117750","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8lineup shakeup: Warriors could cut ties with a young center to make room for a former All-Star sending speculation into overdrive as analysts and insiders debate the team\u2019s next big move and championship strategy\u2026ll"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2186387188-594x594-1.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=594\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2186387188-594x594-1.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=594 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2186387188-594x594-1.jpg?quality=45&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/gettyimages-2186387188-594x594-1.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Warriors Could Cut Ties With Young Center for Former All-Star\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>A bold roster shake-up could be brewing in Golden State. Could the Warriors really move on from Trayce Jackson-Davis to take a gamble on Ben Simmons?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-end=\"271\" data-start=\"81\">The Golden State Warriors are once again standing at the intersection of loyalty and logic \u2014 and this time, it involves Trayce Jackson-Davis and a former All-Star searching for redemption.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"748\" data-start=\"273\">Jackson-Davis has been a steady presence since being drafted 57th overall in 2023, but three years in, the opportunity curve has flattened. Despite a brief resurgence in Golden State\u2019s 118\u2013117 win over Phoenix \u2014 where he tallied seven points, two rebounds, and three assists in 15 minutes \u2014 his role remains situational at best. Steve Kerr admitted as much afterward, noting that Jackson-Davis is used \u201cfor rim protection and defense in the paint\u201d when Draymond Green sits.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"981\" data-start=\"750\">That acknowledgment underscores the problem. Jackson-Davis does one thing well \u2014 protect the rim \u2014 but in a Warriors offense built around spacing, ball movement, and pace, his traditional center style feels increasingly outdated.<\/p>\n<h2 data-end=\"1009\" data-start=\"983\"><strong>The Rotation Reality<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-end=\"1375\" data-start=\"1011\">Last season, Jackson-Davis started 37 games and averaged 6.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, showing promise as a rim-runner and energy big. But Golden State\u2019s frontcourt landscape has shifted. The addition of Al Horford and the rise of rookie Quinten Post \u2014 a floor-spacing big who can stretch defenses \u2014 have pushed Jackson-Davis further out of the rotation.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"1686\" data-start=\"1377\">In fact, through the first nine games of this season, he\u2019s logged just 52 total minutes with four DNPs. When Horford sits, Jackson-Davis gets a small window, but his plus\/minus rating (-3 across those opportunities) and lack of offensive versatility have made it difficult for Kerr to justify more minutes.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"1959\" data-start=\"1688\">That\u2019s why Blue Man Hoop\u2019s Peter O\u2019Keefe recently floated a controversial but thought-provoking idea \u2014 waiving Jackson-Davis before his $2.2 million contract becomes fully guaranteed in January and using the open spot to take a flier on three-time All-Star Ben Simmons.<\/p>\n<h2 data-end=\"1990\" data-start=\"1961\">Why Simmons Makes Sense<\/h2>\n<p data-end=\"2182\" data-start=\"1992\">On the surface, Simmons\u2019 inclusion seems counterintuitive \u2014 another non-shooter in an offense dependent on spacing. But the deeper you look, the more his profile fits Golden State\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"2464\" data-start=\"2184\">Simmons, even in decline, remains a rare blend of size, defensive versatility, and playmaking. He\u2019s still capable of switching across positions, initiating transition offense, and facilitating from the frontcourt \u2014 a skill set Golden State currently lacks beyond Draymond Green.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"2928\" data-start=\"2466\">For his career, Simmons has averaged 7.2 assists, 7.4 rebounds, and 13.1 points, numbers that hint at the kind of multidimensional impact Kerr could weaponize in short spurts. In a system designed around movement and quick reads, his passing could revive bench units that have stagnated without Stephen Curry on the floor. He could function as both a small-ball five and secondary initiator \u2014 essentially a second Draymond without the shooting expectation.<\/p>\n<h2 data-end=\"2955\" data-start=\"2930\">The Risk and Reward<\/h2>\n<p data-end=\"3270\" data-start=\"2957\">Of course, the Warriors would be taking a calculated gamble. Simmons hasn\u2019t been an All-Star since 2021, and injuries plus confidence issues have derailed much of his recent production. But with an open roster spot and a veteran-minimum price tag, the risk is minimal compared to the potential schematic payoff.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"3578\" data-start=\"3272\">Jackson-Davis, on the other hand, carries little financial downside but also little upside within this current construction. At 25, he\u2019s not a developmental project anymore \u2014 and with Golden State clinging to the final chapters of the Curry era, every rotation spot must serve the pursuit of winning now.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"3894\" data-start=\"3580\">If Simmons can give Kerr even eight to ten solid minutes of playmaking defense off the bench, the experiment might be worth the shakeup. And if it doesn\u2019t work, the cost is negligible compared to the potential reward of reigniting a player whose skill set once made him one of the league\u2019s most dynamic forwards.<\/p>\n<p data-end=\"4109\" data-start=\"3896\">The Warriors don\u2019t need another big man \u2014 they need a connector. And while Trayce Jackson-Davis offers dependability, Ben Simmons, even at a fraction of his former self, offers something much rarer: possibility.<\/p>\n<p>Jalon Dixon Jalon Dixon is a multi-platform sports journalist and content creator specializing in NBA and WNBA coverage. He blends writing, podcasting, and video analysis to deliver accessible, in-depth perspectives on basketball and beyond. More about Jalon Dixon<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One writer\u2019s bold idea has Golden State Warriors fans debating if Ben Simmons could be the missing spark Golden State\u2019s roster needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":117751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\ud83d\udea8lineup shakeup: Warriors could cut ties with a young center to make room for a former All-Star sending speculation into overdrive as analysts and insiders debate the team\u2019s next big move and championship strategy\u2026ll - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=117750\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\ud83d\udea8lineup shakeup: Warriors could cut ties with a young center to make room for a former All-Star sending speculation into overdrive as analysts and insiders debate the team\u2019s next big move and championship strategy\u2026ll - 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