Brooklyn’s Ben Simmons, going against Dillon Brooks on Saturday, is getting a buyout from the Nets and will be a free agent. Houston is one of teams he’s considering.
Ashley Landis/Associated Press
The Houston Rockets were not among the teams to snag an All-Star during one of the most shocking NBA trade deadlines in league history, but they are being linked with one in the post-trade “buyout” season.
How serious Houston’s interest is in former All-Star Ben Simmons remains to be seen. But the Rockets were one of three teams that could meet with Simmons, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes. The former Brooklyn Nets point guard is finalizing a buyout with the team and will become a free agent. The Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers are to meet with Simmons as well, per multiple reports.
Simmons is in the final season of a 5-year, $177.2 million rookie extension he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019. He’s set to be a free agent again this offseason unless any team signs him to a long-term deal following the buyout.
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Most of Simmons’ success came two teams ago with the 76ers, who drafted him first overall in 2016. He did not play his first year due to injury but won Rookie of the Year in 2017-18. Simmons was an All-Star the next three seasons and earned a pair of All-Defensive team selections.
Simmons’ tenure in Philly didn’t end as pretty, however, as he declared his intentions to be traded before the 2021-22 season. A messy saga followed and he missed the entire season before the 76ers sent Simmons and others to the Nets for a package headlined by former Rocket James Harden. Simmons continued not playing that season after being diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back following the trade.
Simmons played just 90 games and 189 in three seasons in Brooklyn. He didn’t display the same All-Star caliber play either with the Nets, averaging around six points, six rebounds and six assists per game. But the 6-foot-10 guard still provides solid playmaking skills and elite level defense when healthy.
The Rockets need help with starting point guard Fred VanVleet currently nursing an ankle injury. They’re also struggling defensively as of late, especially down the stretch. Houston has allowed 171 points in the fourth quarter over their last five games (34.2 per game), leading to a –46 point differential in those quarters. They’ve also led to five straight losses for the now Western Conference No. 4 seed, its worst stretch of the season.
Simmons overlapped for one season in Philadelphia with Rockets coach Ime Udoka, who was an assistant with the 76ers in 2019-20.
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The Rockets’ roster is currently full after adding forward Cody Zeller from the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, so a corresponding move will need to be made if they sign Simmons.
Houston is about $3 million under the tax threshold and $7.7 million under the NBA’s first apron, meaning the Rockets would be allowed to sign bought-out players who made more than the non-taxpayer level exception.
