Ben Simmons Rumors: Nets Spoke to Several Teams About PG Before Kevin Durant Trade

Before trading Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns, the Brooklyn Nets were exploring deals involving Ben Simmons.

Per SNY.tv's Ian Begley, the Nets spoke with several different teams about Simmons in the aftermath of dealing Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Suns are acquiring Durant and T.J. Warren from the Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round draft picks and a pick swap.

Begley noted the Nets' ability to get a Durant deal done quickly will give them the opportunity to potentially make more moves ahead of the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline on Thursday.

Since the Nets have turned their focus away from trying to win now by dealing Durant and Kyrie Irving this week, moving Simmons ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline would certainly make sense.

Of course, Simmons might be the most difficult player to trade in the NBA right now. He's been a shell of his former self so far this season. The 26-year-old is averaging career lows in points (7.2), rebounds (6.4) and assists (6.4) per game.

Injuries continue to be a problem for Simmons, who recently sat out five consecutive games with knee soreness before returning against the Suns on Tuesday. He scored two points with six assists and four turnovers in 27 minutes in the Nets' 116-112 loss.

Adding to the potential difficulty of trading Simmons is his contract. The LSU alum is making $35.5 million this season and is owed $78.2 million combined over the next two years.

The Nets would almost certainly have to provide a lot of additional pieces for a team to take on Simmons' contract.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.com reported the Nets were recently engaged in talks with the Raptors about Simmons that also involved "several first-round draft picks" going to Toronto.

Unless the Nets see a quick path to adding star players who can help them get back to being a title contender, dealing multiple first-round draft picks before the trade deadline would make no sense.

The Nets could simply play this season out, hope Simmons can find anything close to the All-Star form he had with the Philadelphia 76ers and explore deals during the offseason, when teams might have more cap space available.