Report: Nets, Simmons Working on Buyout

The Brooklyn Nets insisted for months that Ben Simmons would remain with the team and wasn't a candidate to monitor on the buyout market.

That appears to no longer be the case following a hectic NBA trade deadline. Rival franchises are beginning to reload ahead of the playoffs, and Simmons is reportedly a top target for two contenders.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Brooklyn is now working on a buyout with Simmons, paving way for him to sign wherever he so chooses. The LA Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers are among the reported landing spots according to ESPN.

Simmons landed with the Nets back in 2022 in the infamous James Harden trade, ending a broken relationship with the Philadelphia 76ers. The former first-overall selection from 2016 is amid his first truly healthy season in Brooklyn, appearing in 33 games while averaging 6.2 points, 6.9 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Before the news of a potential departure broke, Simmons was just 10 games away from playing the most games he had in a Nets uniform.

Following a strong start to the 2024-25 campaign, one which Simmons was a key contribution to, Brooklyn has slowed down since dealing Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith in December. As the organization begins to look toward this summer's draft lottery once its playoff hopes were dashed, general manager Sean Marks looks to do right by Simmons to allow him to compete.

The 28-year-old is currently in the final season of the five-year, $177 million deal he signed with Philadelphia back in 2020. Already slated to depart from the Nets in the offseason, Marks could look to speed up the process.

The Simmons era in Brooklyn may conclude well below the original expectations. When he was brought in, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were still rocking the black and white, and many believed Simmons could revive his career assuming he'd stay healthy.

Unfortunately, that proved not to be the case, however Simmons had been a vital part of rookie head coach Jordi Fernandez's rotation.

If the time comes for the sides to split, Simmons' tenure with the Nets will end with fans wondering, "What if?"

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