The Brooklyn Nets made a huge gamble by trading for Ben Simmons, but it’s not like they had a lot of choices. He could’ve been a nice replacement for James Harden , but he’s barely even played.
There’s no denying that Simmons has a sky-high upside. He was a former first-overall pick for a reason, and he’s still quite young and could have a long NBA career.
But things haven’t worked out in Brooklyn, and they’re reportedly looking at a different kind of player. That’s why Sean Deveney of Heavy reports that they could call the Atlanta Hawks about John Collins.
NBA Rumors: Nets Could Look To Trade Ben Simmons For John Collins
“‘The Nets want some guys who can score, and (Collins) can score. But the only way they (the Nets) can really do something big, can really get someone who can score in there, is if they can get a taker for Ben Simmons,’ one league executive told Heavy Sports. ‘There aren’t a lot of teams where that would make sense, but Atlanta is one of them, because you need to build a defensive group around Trae Young.’
‘Now, if you’re the Nets, you still have to convince Atlanta that Simmons wants to play. Obviously, that is the question around him right now.’
‘The Nets like Collins, they had interest there even before they blew up the team, they’re still curious but they would have to do more than just Simmons in that kind of deal,’ the executive said. ‘You’d be looking at taking back (Bogdan) Bogdanovic’s deal if you’re Brooklyn and giving up a Royce O’Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith. Maybe too high a price, and maybe that is why they wind up holding onto Simmons in the end. They also have to ask, are you going to play Cam Johnson at the 4 permanently, can you play him with a big guy like Collins? But both teams are kind of in a holding pattern and even though it’s scary to do something big, that’s the kind of thing it will take.’”
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ESPN analyst explains why Ben Simmons has the worst contract in the NBA
Of course, there could be plenty of hurdles to get past, but if Collins isn’t a part of the Hawks’ plans for the future, this could be the ultimate high-risk/high-reward pickup for the organization.
