Patty Mills Sees 'Fire' in Ben Simmons After Trade; Says Nets Can Still Win Title

Brooklyn Nets guard Patty Mills told reporters he sees a "fire" in new teammate Ben Simmons and that the team has "100 percent" confidence it can turn its season around and compete for an NBA championship.

ESPN's Nick Friedell provided the quotes and context.

The Nets recently lost 11 straight games to drop to 29-27, but they emphatically ended that stretch with a 109-85 home win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.

The Nets welcomed Seth Curry and Andre Drummond, who came over from the Philadelphia 76ers along with Ben Simmons in a deal that sent James Harden down to Philly, to the team during the Kings game.

Simmons did not play, but he told reporters that he's ramping up his activity to get into game shape.

He's been out for the season after lodging an offseason trade request. Simmons briefly returned to the 76ers in October but soon left and told team brass that he was not mentally ready to play.

The Nets would obviously welcome Simmons, a three-time All-Star who has averaged 15.9, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists for his career, with open arms.

Brooklyn can only play Kyrie Irving for road games at the moment because of New York City's COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Kevin Durant is also out with a sprained MCL.

Simmons would be the team's top star for home games until KD returns. The Nets have been shorthanded all year largely because of injuries, but bringing in Simmons alongside Curry and Drummond gives the team some much-needed depth. It also gives the Nets another sorely-needed ball-handler in Irving's absence.

For now, the Nets have games on Wednesday and Thursday before the All-Star break. They'll return from that on Thursday, Feb. 24 with a matchup against the Boston Celtics.