NBA Rumors: Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons is expected to miss 3-4 months after undergoing back surgery. It could be another confusing offseason for the Simmons-Nets relationship.
When the Brooklyn Nets acquired Ben Simmons in exchange for James Harden at the NBA Trade Deadline, the expectation was that he would make his debut just before the playoffs. That didn’t happen.
Then, the expectation was that he would return at some point in the first round of the postseason. That didn’t happen either. Now, the hope is that Simmons will be ready for Nets training camp after undergoing back surgery.
On one hand, perhaps this is good news. Perhaps this is Simmons and the Nets getting to the bottom of this issue and he’ll be ready to put this season (and its setbacks) behind him. On the other hand, this could just be the continuation of a season-long saga that will drag into the offseason.
Either way, it’s unfortunate for both Simmons and the Nets. There’s no question that there’s nothing that Simmons wants more than to play basketball again stress-free. That’s not something that was possible in Philly. Now that he’s in Brooklyn, he got somewhat of a reset and then the back issue flared up. Unfortunate.
For the Nets, it’s unfortunate because this was the move that was supposed to help complete Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Simmons never got to play this season and that didn’t work out.
Hopefully, this back procedure is something that could help both Simmons and the Nets take steps forward in their relationship. The last thing that needs to happen is for this relationship to go south before it even begins.
The Nets have some big questions to answer heading into the offseason, but the hope is that Simmons, Kyrie, and Durant will be the trio that leads this team into a new era of Nets basketball.