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Bill Simmons chooses Nets’ Ben Simmons in hypothetical NBA expansion draft

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons should be ready to fully participate in training camp in the fall now that he has recovered from the impinged nerve in his back that prematurely ended his 2022-23 season. While Brooklyn will be relying on Simmons playing better in order for the team to get to the playoffs next season, there’s something to be said about how much value Simmons has in some sections of the NBA media these days.

There have been articles written ever since Simmons came to the Nets about how much he’s being paid for the little that he was putting out on the court. In fact, Nets Wire recently covered how Simmons, according to HoopsHype‘s Real Value metric, was one of the most overpaid players last season and that was with him playing in 42 games.

In another instance of how low Simmons’ value is in the eyes of some in the media, Bill Simmons, in a recent episode of his show with Ryen Russillo, had his own take on what an NBA expansion draft would look like in terms of players that would be unprotected by their teams during the process. Bill Simmons chose the Aussie, but not for particularly inspiring reasons:

Bill Simmons On Why He Chose Ben Simmons

“My next pick is going to surprise you (Ryen), stun you. Ben Simmons! They’re (the Nets) leaving him (Simmons) unprotected hoping somebody takes him… We’re gonna rebuild you, Ben Simmons. You’re gonna be the face of our franchise (Seattle Supersonics) and also, I gotta spend $89 million. I need one expensive guy so why not Ben Simmons?”

Bill Simmons' Reasoning For Choosing Ben Simmons

“I think if I’m an expansion team, what’s the worst thing that could happen? I want to be bad anyway, right? I want to be bad, I want to have a bottom five team, I want to take flyers on guys who have talent. I want to take assets that I feel like I can flip and I want to have a certain identity and with Simmons, is there a five percent chance he might put it back together? He’s like 25.”

Part Of Bill Simmons Show Where He Selects Ben Simmons

Story originally appeared on Nets Wire