NBA Rumors: Ben Simmons Trade Not Eyed by Mavericks Despite Buzz Around Nets Star

The Dallas Mavericks haven't shown interest in a trade for Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

"This might be one of those cases, I'm told, where the Mavericks have been mentioned repeatedly to try to create some sort of market for Simmons, who has been relegated to a bench role by [Nets head coach Jacque] Vaughn when he does play," Stein wrote.

Luka Dončić is playing at an MVP-type level to open the 2022-23 season. He's averaging 34.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.1 assists while shooting 49.6 percent from the field.

Despite Dončić's best efforts, the Mavs are only 7-5 and sixth in the Western Conference. Their start isn't that surprising for those who wondered whether Dallas had a good enough supporting cast around the three-time All-Star to be a title contender.

If the Mavericks were getting the pre-2020 playoffs version of Simmons, then a trade might make sense. He could ease the playmaking burden on Dončić while significantly upgrading the perimeter defense.

But Simmons hasn't been the same player since his disastrous postseason run in 2020, and he has been even worse on offense since debuting for the Nets.

His 5.0 shots per game are less than half of his career average (11.4). ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported one belief among rival scouts is that the 26-year-old is afraid of drawing fouls, which is having a wide-ranging impact on his game:

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Nov. 4 on NBA Today the 6'10" playmaker "has been a source of frustration for Kevin Durant, for others on the Nets so far, because he's been unable to stay on the floor with a knee injury, but prior to that, he has shown that he's a long way away from being back to an impactful player."

Unless you were taking him on as a reclamation project, there simply isn't a compelling reason to acquire Simmons right now.

In the case of the Mavericks, his arrival would unlikely move the needle much, and the $78.2 million he's owed over the next two seasons would hinder how much they could further augment the roster.