If Ben Simmons ends up leaving the NBA, the New York Knicks’ interest in signing him may turn out to be the catalyst for his departure.
The 29-year-old has remained a near-constant fixture in the orange-and-blue’s offseason rumor mill. But Simmons threw both the Knicks and other potential suitors for a whirl when Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported that he was “questioning” whether to continue his career in the Association.
Shortly thereafter, word came from Marc Stein of The Stein Line that the three-time All-Star’s agent, Bernie Lee, cut ties with his client. This decision by Lee was something of a mystery…until now.
As Bondy notes in a follow-up report, Lee pulled the rip cord after the “point guard sent signals that he wasn’t interested in whatever came from his agent’s conversations with the Knicks.”
This may not be all about the Knicks
It would be a stretch to say that New York is single-handedly driving Simmons to consider retirement from the NBA. Nothing out there suggests he is against the idea of playing in The Mecca.
If anything, it could be the exact opposite. Free agents are already making it clear they want to play for the Knicks. Opportunities to contend for a title and rehabilitate your market value aren’t easy to come by.
But this might, in fact, be about the lack of opportunity that awaits Simmons in New York. Even if the Knicks place a premium on his defensive versatility, he remains an incredibly questionable fit at the other end of the floor. Inserting him into the rotation specifically creates all sorts of challenges for Josh Hart, and likely Mitchell Robinson. Head coach Mike Brown would be hard-pressed to play two of these three together for any real stretch of time.
Simmons would not be walking into a top-seven rotation spot as a result. He would have to beat out Jordan Clarkson, Guerschon Yabusele, Deuce McBride, and/or Tyler Kolek for any sort of regular court time.
Money might also be a factor. The Knicks only have a minimum-salary deal to dangle. For all of Simmons’ confidence issues at the offensive end, he might just believe he’s worth more. The market doesn’t seem to think so, since he remains unsigned. But the combination of low compensation and an uncertain role could easily be a turn-off.
We still don’t know how much interest New York showed
Of course, all of this assumes the Knicks made an offer to Simmons or his agent that the former turned down. We can’t be sure that even happened.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, New York “never made a formal offer” to the 2018 Rookie of the Year. As he says, the Knicks’ focus remains split between Simmons, Malcolm Brogdon, and a potential reunion with Landry Shamet.
Still, whether New York made an offer doesn’t particularly matter. Simmons’ view of the Knicks and whatever opportunity they could promise is the real story. His feelings on the matter were apparently strong enough to drive away his agent. In theory, then, his dalliance with New York could also mark the conclusion of his time in the NBA altogether.