Ben Simmons, Nets agree to buyout, will sign with Clippers

Ben Simmons, Nets agree to buyout, will sign with Clippers

Hours after officially agreeing to a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets, forward Ben Simmons is planning to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania first reported Saturday.

Simmons was not traded ahead of the deadline and reports surfaced Friday that he was finalizing a buyout with Brooklyn, though that did not become official until Saturday. According to Charania, he met with Los Angeles and Cleveland.

The 28-year-old was in the final year of a five-year, $177.2 million rookie max extension when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers–on the hook for $40.3 million. Simmons’ availability has been a big contention of discussion over the last several seasons. In 33 games his year, he’s averaged 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists on 54.7 percent shooting and 56.2 percent true-shooting.

The Clippers, hard-capped below the first apron, entered Saturday with one open roster spot after a 2-for-1 trade Thursday to acquire guard Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Atlanta Hawks. According to Spotrac, they still have a portion of their $12.8 non-taxpayer mid-level exception it can use to sign Simmons, which would be more than the prorated minimum.

After being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons’ career has been mired by injury and stagnation, failing to improve dramatically in one area while dealing with foot and back injuries. Even with Bogdanovic now in the fold, Simmons’ lack of shooting does not help a 22nd-ranked Clippers offense with the fourth-fewest 3-pointers attempted per 100 possessions and 15th in 3-point efficiency.

He still is a good defender, rebounder and playmaker, so I am interested to see how he meshes in the backcourt alongside James Harden, Norman Powell, Bogdanovic and Kris Dunn, among others.

***

Click Here for more NBA Content

Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch

Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube

Check out the Vendetta Shop

Check out Vendetta Fantasy Contests