Nets' Updated Roster, Starting Lineup, Salary Cap After Ben Simmons Trade with 76ers

After months of speculation and trade requests, Ben Simmons finally got his wish to be traded from the Philadelphia 76ers.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks will head to the Brooklyn Nets, while James Harden and Paul Millsap come back to the Sixers. 

Per Wojnarowski, the two draft choices are an unprotected first-round pick in 2022 and a first-rounder protected from selections 1-8 in 2027.

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Nets' Updated Roster

PG: Ben Simmons, Patty Mills, Jevon Carter

SG: Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry, DeAndre' Bembry

SF: Kevin Durant, Kessler Edwards, Bruce Brown

PF: James Johnson, Blake Griffin, Day'Ron Sharpe

C: LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Drummond, Nicolas Claxton

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Per Spotrac, the Nets payroll sits at $164.4 million with the addition of Simmons and Curry. 

In August, Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype noted the Nets were projected to have the second-highest combined payroll and luxury-tax payment in the NBA for the 2021-22 season at $306.4 million behind the Golden State Warriors at $362 million.

Simmons significantly changes the dynamic of Brooklyn's roster. He has been named to the All-Defensive first team in each of the past two seasons.

The Nets rank 19th in defensive rating (111.8) and 20th in points allowed per game (111.1), per Basketball Reference.

While shooting concerns will be part of Simmons' story until he improves that part of his game, the Nets also landed one of the best playmakers in the league.

The three-time All-Star was the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year, won the 2019-20 steals title and made the 2019-20 All-NBA third team. He averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game in 2020-21 and was often asked to defend the opponent's best player while facilitating and directing plays on offense.

Simmons is a triple-double threat and can impact the game even if his shot isn't falling.

That is something to build on at 25 years old, and he helps make up for his shooting issues as a floor general who can get out in transition. Throw in his impressive defense and ability to defend all five positions, and he is much better than what he showed during Philadelphia's Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the Atlanta Hawks last year.

That skill set could be ideal for the Nets, especially since scoring is not a concern with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the rotation.

Of course, keeping Durant and Irving in the lineup has been an issue. Durant doesn't have a timetable to return from a sprained left MCL. Irving, who hasn't received a COVID-19 vaccine, remains ineligible to play in home games under New York City's vaccine mandate. 

Getting Curry could alleviate some of the scoring issues when Durant and/or Irving aren't available. The 31-year-old is a limited defender, but he's averaging 15.0 points per game on 40.0 percent shooting from three-point range this season.

Drummond is also a valuable piece given how poorly most of Brooklyn's centers have played. He put up 6.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game in 49 appearances for the Sixers.

Blake Griffin played himself out of the starting lineup early in the season. He's only shooting 41.3 percent from the field in 43 games. 

LaMarcus Aldridge has played well overall, averaging 13.4 points on 55.5 percent shooting. But he's only playing 22.9 per minutes per game and has missed five straight contests with an ankle injury. 

The Nets have lost nine straight games and are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-25 record.

Simmons figures to have plenty of chances to attack the lane and either score at the rim or facilitate given the talent around him in Brooklyn.

He also gives the Nets the lockdown perimeter defender they were missing. For as excellent as Irving and Harden are offensively, they cannot consistently shut down the opponent's best player during a playoff series.

Simmons can, which should help Brooklyn in its championship-or-bust pursuit.