Beyond the basic salary? 28-year-old Simmons, will anyone want it next season?

Ben Simmons seems to be out of work.

Previously, the Clippers reported that Simmons wanted to get a contract that was higher than the base salary, but the free market started for two weeks. Not to mention that it was higher than the base salary, Simmons didn't even get a basic salary.

During this period, there were teams that sparked with Simmons, such as the Raptors, the Knicks, and the Suns, but objectively speaking, none of these three teams seemed to need Ben Simmons.

Or we can say that the GMs in the entire league should be wary of this 28-year-old No. 1 pick. After all, seeing Simmons' resume over the past few years, anyone can't help but shake their heads.

Here, let's take a look at Simmons' performance in the past four years:

—2021-22 season, reimbursed, traded by 76ers to the Nets

—2022-23 season, played 42 games, averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game, and hit percentage of 56.6%

—2023-24 season, played 15 games, averaging 6.1 points, 7.9 5.7 assists on rebounds, 58.1% shooting percentage - in the 2024-25 season, he played 51 games, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists on goal, and 52.0% shooting percentage in four years, Simmons has only played 108 regular season games in total. It should be noted that his annual salary in these four years is: 31.59 million, 33.93 million, 36.27 million, and 38.61 million, with an average game worth US$1.3 million.

As for last season, Simmons was first bought out by the Nets, and then joined the Clippers with a minimum salary. However, during his time in the Clippers, he failed to prove that he was worth staying:

- played 18 games in the regular season, averaged 16 minutes per game, scored 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, with a shooting percentage of 43.4%

- played 5 games in the playoffs, averaged 8.3 minutes per game, scored 0.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists, with a shooting percentage of 33.3%

Simmons at the peak must still remember that although he did not shoot, he could control, break, pass, and grab. The figure of the power forward, the speed of the defender, and the ability to push and convert. He occasionally had a small hook on his back, could follow the defender, and could even almost win DPOY.

Now due to back injury, Simmons' ability is no longer as good as before. Although he can still hold the ball, pass and grab the board, he has no shots, but he is already a waste on the offensive end. This is not just a waste. Simmons not only has three-pointers, but also has no mid-range or breakthrough. He can only occasionally see his previous throwing shots, and even free throws are not reliable. The free throw shooting rate during the Nets during the free throw is as low as 50%.

and another most critical point: Simmons' attendance rate is really bad, so I won't talk about it during the Nets. I will be reimbursed every year. After joining the Clippers, I will also fight and stop, and the tough battles are not reliable.

Although there are some advantages, any team that gets him needs to think twice about his shortcomings. After all, once the position is dropped, Simmons' offensive desire and projection defects will cause everyone to collapse. Especially for the strong teams, if they have a slight flaw, they will be caught by their opponents in the playoffs. With Simmons' shooting and offense, they may not be able to play at all.

At this point, I still feel a little regretful.

How amazing is Simmons who just debuted, and how disappointing it is now. Thinking back then, Simmons made three All-Stars in the first four seasons of his career. Many super rookies may not be able to do this now. When they first received their maximum salary in 2019, I'm afraid not many people would feel that it was worth it.

However, after losing to the Hawks in the tiebreak in 2021, everything became wrong. From having conflicts with the 76ers, to having some mental illness, to being traded, to the later back nerve damage and reimbursement for many years, Simmons is now completely useless.

Of course, injuries must have an impact, but lack of motivation is the fundamental reason for destroying Simmons. Not to mention anything else, if you make a little progress, you won’t be able to practice free throws, let alone three-pointers.

In fact, with Simmons' talent, if he is healthy, if he is more competitive, if he practices a little reliable shooting, if his ball skills improve year by year like his offseason photography skills, he is definitely a super hot commodity in today's era - a 2.08-meter power forward can pass, break, shoot, grab and defend, that is the ultimate killer. Unfortunately, there are not so many ifs.

Finally, I would like to say that when the Western Emperor first entered the league, he was really optimistic. Embiid was injured in the rookie season and led the team to 13 consecutive victories. I didn’t expect that he would be like this later. I have long since been looking forward to it. Thank God to be able to get a basic salary in the new season.