Nets’ Ben Simmons predicted to have one of the worst contracts next season
The Brooklyn Nets have a lot to look forward to next season now that they have their roster figured out for the most part. While Brooklyn fans have good reason to be excited for this upcoming season, there is something that may be concerning for the team next season.
According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, Nets guard Ben Simmons is predicted to have one of the worst contracts in the NBA for the 2023-24 campaign. Next season, Simmons, 27, is slated to earn $37.8 million over the course of the season as part of the five-year, $177 million extension he signed in 2019 while he was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.
There is optimism surrounding Simmons since there are recent reports that he is the healthiest that he’s been since his days in Philadelphia. These reports give the impression that Simmons has not been healthy during his time in Brooklyn and that what he showed in the 2022-23 season was a shell of what he could bring next season.
Here’s some of what Buckley had to say for his reasoning on his prediction of Simmons’ contract:
“It’s tempting to drown yourself in offseason optimism and believe this will be the time when Ben Simmons finally gets back on track.
But would you bet $78.2 million on that happening? Of course not.
He has looked broken since his disastrous playoff run with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2021. He seemingly lost all confidence in that series—most memorably passing up a potential dunk on a possession the Sixers had to have—and it may have pushed him past the point of no return.
Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a holdout and a back injury. He played 42 games this past season but appeared nowhere close to his previous form. Virtually his entire stat sheet dipped to career-low levels, including his first below-average player efficiency rating (13.4) and a win share count that was barely a third of his previous worst (2.2).”
