There’s been a lot of Ben on our timeline today, huh? Following his formal trade request and refusal to attend training camp, fans all around the league are speculating just where Ben Simmons might find his next home. Personally, I think I’d enjoy it quite a lot if that home was with the Sacramento Kings.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer broke the big news, reporting, “ no longer wants to be a Sixer and does not intend to report to training camp.” This news likely lowers the star’s trade value and opens up a massive opportunity for a team believing they’re just one piece away.
It’s not hard to see why a team would believe that. Simmons was practically born into a body made for basketball, in what is essentially the prototype for the perfect NBA player. All except for one important caveat, he can’t shoot. And he probably never will be up to that task, so how exactly do you value a player like that? If the answer to that question was obvious, then every general manager in the NBA wouldn’t be stuck asking themselves that very same question.
All we know for certain is that Simmons is an incredibly talented player with but a few big faults—and believe me, they are big—in his game.
Whether or not you’re an advocate of this deal going through, just how exactly would Ben Simmons fit in the Sacramento Kings rotation?
Entering the second season of his maximum deal, Simmons is under team control for the next four years, this is very important. Teams could look at this as a positive, knowing he wouldn’t be a flight risk and they could spend much time developing his game and integrating Simmons into the community for nearly half a decade.
Or, on the other hand, teams may view this as a negative being forced to doll out well over $30 million—and up to $38 million in the final year—per season for a guy who may just be a glorified role player. Regardless of what teams may think, a 25-year-old player who secures three All-Star appearances, two All-Defensive Team selections, and an All-NBA nod in the span of just four seasons in the league is always going to draw attention.
If the Kings were to trade for Simmons, they’d have three trade packages on the table worth presenting to Philadelphia. Let’s take a look at each one and see how each scenario would play out hypothetically if it were to happen.