Ben Simmons may be on the verge of removing himself from the New York Knicks' list of potential free-agent additions—and the NBA entirely.
The 29-year-old is “questioning” whether he wants to continue playing in the Association, according to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy. His equivocation comes amid interest from the Knicks, and…”another team.”
It isn’t immediately clear what’s prompting Simmons’ self-reflection. He could be unhappy with the contracts and roles being offered to him, and be fielding more lucrative opportunities from overseas squads. He could also be contemplating retirement after all of his back issues.
Whatever the reason, the Knicks will be watching closely.
The Knicks’ next signing may be etched in stone now
If Simmons takes himself off the board, New York is almost guaranteed to bring back Landry Shamet with its final veteran’s minimum deal. After all, it’s not like there are tons of other options.
Amir Coffey already signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Malik Beasley pipe dream has taken a major hit on multiple fronts. Reunions with Cam Payne or Delon Wright could make some sense, but both will have a tougher time cracking even the back of the rotation.
Malcolm Brogdon remains available, and is on the team’s radar. Yet, if the Knicks aren’t skewing toward a defense-first perimeter player, they should prioritize higher-volume shooting from someone who can log minutes at both the 2 and 3. Brogdon tops out as a 2-guard, isn’t super high-volume from distance, and has missed almost as many games over the past two years (101) as Mitchell Robinson (113).
Failing a successful hail-mary recruiting pitch to Beasley, who could still face disciplinary action as a result of a federal gambling probe, the Knicks’ next free-agency decision may have just been made for them.
This isn’t a bad outcome for New York
Signing Simmons has merits when viewed through the lens of defensive versatility. The logic starts to fall apart when digging deeper.
Fitting him into the same rotation as Robinson and Josh Hart is the biggest issue. Given their limited range, as well as Simmons’ own, playing more than one of these three at any point threatens to nuke New York’s spacing.
Hart will be the one who suffers the most. His offensive effectiveness is predicated on getting to the rim, not just in transition, but also inside the half-court. He has seen his close-range attempts implode whenever he logs time beside Robinson. Identical struggles would plague him with Simmons. The Knicks would be doing him a great disservice by tethering Hart to at least one of them for a large chunk of his minutes.
If we’re being honest, whether Simmons leaves the NBA altogether or signs with “another team,” missing out on him could wind up being among New York’s biggest offseason victories.