Could the Golden State Warriors throw their hat in the ring in the sweepstakes for Ben Simmons?
The Golden State Warriors certainly have the assets to enter the sweepstakes for Ben Simmons, as they own the No.7 and No.14 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, which is a loaded class.
Simmons makes a good deal of money, so if a trade were to take place, the Warriors would have to send a current player to match salaries. Well, they have that also. The first player that comes to mind is 26-year-old swingman, Andrew Wiggins.
Wiggins, coming off a season where he averaged around 19 points per game, has a high salary as well, making around $30 million per year for the next two seasons.
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Now the question is, what is too much for Simmons? To me, the 7th pick, 14th pick, and Wiggins would be slightly overpaying for Simmons as he struggled mightily in the playoffs.
He averaged just 9.9 points, attempted just 6.4 field goals, and made only 15 out of 45 free-throw attempts in the series against the Atlanta Hawks.
While the former LSU Tiger has never been an offensive force since he was selected first overall in the 2016 draft, he has at least been far better than he showed in the Atlanta series.
He’s made his name on the defensive end making the NBA All-Defensive first team the last two seasons. Offensively, well.. that’s the reason he seems to be on the trading block.
The good news, he shoots an excellent 56 percent from the field, though he shoots under 60 percent from the free-throw line and refuses to look for any type of shot other than a layup or dunk. In fact, Simmons only attempted five 3-point attempts on the season. To give you perspective, Steph Curry attempted 12.7 3-point attempts a game this season.
The Golden State Warriors have the assets to get a deal done
Wiggins and the 14th pick seems fair for Simmons and a huge win for the Warriors. But the shrewd Sixers general manager Daryl Morey usually prevails in these scenarios. Just ask Sam Presti. The one thing on the Warriors side is also one of the things the Sixers have working against them. That is, that Simmons stock is at an all-time low after his performances in the playoffs.
As the offseason progresses I’m sure there will be more suitors as there should be. After all who doesn’t want a 24-year-old all-star in a sticky situation. This is like blood in the water and the sharks are the other 30 general managers of the league.
For all of Simmons’s faults, he’s still a great defender with great size, a blur in transition, and a three-time all-star at the age of 24.
With more suitors, becomes competing offers which may drive up the price for Golden State to somewhat steal Simmons away from Philly. If worse comes to worst, Golden State has the assets to get him if they really want to. We’ll see what happens.