A Trade The Golden State Warriors And Brooklyn Nets Must Consider
The Golden State Warriors have one of the most high-profile rosters in the NBA, but they are off to a tough start to the 2023-24 NBA season.
With Monday's 116-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Warriors are now 18-22 in their first 40 games.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets have also gotten off to a slow start to the season and fell to 16-23 in their first 39 games after losing 96-95 to the Miami Heat.
I believe the Warriors and Nets should swap Ben Simmons and Chris Paul in a trade.
Why?
For starters, Simmons and Paul have similar salaries that would make a deal easy to make.
Simmons hasn't played in a game since November 6 and is averaging 6.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per contest while shooting 52.8% from the field.
The Warriors lack size on their roster, and Simmons, who is 6'10", would be a better fit than Paul.
Since the Warriors have Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, Simmons would only need to focus on rebounding, defense and passing (which he does best).
The three-time NBA All-Star could be an intriguing addition to the team's starting lineup or a solid backup for Draymond Green off the bench.
Meanwhile, Paul is also injured and hasn't played in a game since January 5.
The 38-year-old is averaging 8.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 42.4% from the field and 36.1% from the three-point range.
Right now, the Nets rank 15th in assists (26.1 APG), and Paul has experience playing with star forward Mikal Bridges (the two were teammates on the Phoenix Suns).
Paul, who is a future Hall of Famer, could give the Nets a big boost as the team's pass-first point guard and bring significant experience to a young locker room.
Both Paul and Simmons come with the risk of being unavailable, but if they were to get healthy, a swap would make sense.
