In The Least Surprising News Of All Time, The Nets Officially Shut Down Ben Simmons For The Year

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All things considered, Ben Simmons has one of the most interesting NBA careers in recent memory. Sure there have been #1 picks that flamed out, the idea of a "bust" isn't exactly new, but that's not really the case with Simmons. There was a time when he would do stuff like this!

But ever since this play

Nothing has been the same. There was a time when people thought Simmons just needed a change in location. Given how that Hawks series ended, closing the book on his Philly era and having new life as a Net was supposed to make a world of difference. We see that all the time too, where guys go to a different situations and turn into a different players.

After missing all of last year, Simmons played in 42 games as a Net this season. I think it's safe to say that things did not get better

It's not just the production either. All of the same mental hurdles that plagued him as a Sixer still exists to this day as a Net. Add in the fact that his injury issues haven't gotten any better either, and this is quickly turning into one of the more disastrous trades in recent NBA history. Now that he's shut down for the year, is it crazy to suggest that the Simmons era in BKN is officially over?

I suppose that depends on what you think about this

As they say, there is no such thing as an "untradeable" contract in the NBA. Russell Westbrook has been traded like 4 times in the last 5 years despite his deal. Sure you may have to attach assets to Simmons in order to make it worthwhile for someone, but something can always be worked out in theory.

My question is, who is signing up for this? Not only do you need the money in contracts to make it work, but I imagine the Nets aren't going to just want to unload him for free. Which team out there is giving up real assets for a player who you in no way can bank on actually playing, and then when he does step on the floor he's not exactly a positive player?

Now that the Nets are in this weird "retooling" limbo after the KD/Kyrie trades, do they give this one more shot with Simmons? How exactly does he fit given the talent that is now on this roster? It's one thing if you slide him into a lineup with Kyrie/KD. That way you can tell him to just defend and pass and live with the rest. But now? What good does Simmons do the current Nets, especially if he's never even on the floor. Perhaps they'd be willing to take 50 cents on the dollar just so they can be done with this whole thing and focus on retooling with guys who fit their style of play.

Here's an interesting question for ya. 

Who plays a game for their current franchise next season, Ben Simmons or Damian Lillard?

In one corner, you have a guy who NBA teams probably don't want to touch. In the other corner, you have a guy who would basically rather die than leave the Blazers. Then again…

Could we live in a world where we see a Dame/Simmons swap? I can't imagine why the Blazers would want to do that, but then again I had no idea why the Nets would want to trade Harden for Simmons in the first place. 

Watching those Sixers highlights, it's just so crazy that this is where we are with Simmons. How is that the same guy? Maybe somewhere deep down that player still exists, but we're at the point where I don't think you can bank on that guy ever showing up again.