NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Ben Simmons Trade Talks, Jaylen Brown, John Wall
A trio of NBA All-Stars—past and present—recently took a spin on the perpetually moving rumor mill.
One has been a constant there for months: Ben Simmons, who is anxiously awaiting a trade away from the Philadelphia 76ers. The others are fresh faces to the process: John Wall, who's been off the grid awaiting an end to his tenure with the Houston Rockets; and Jaylen Brown, a somewhat stunning addition as he otherwise seems to hold building-block status for the Boston Celtics.
There are reasons these three are being talked about, though, so let's inspect them.
Ten Teams Remain in the Ben Simmons Sweepstakes
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While Simmons remains a 76er, that apparently isn't due to a lack of activity on his trade front.
According to B/R's Jake Fischer, there are 10 "known teams that remain engaged with Philadelphia." However, there haven't been many official offers made to the Sixers, who instead "have mainly outlined two- and three-team frameworks they would accept."
All of this checks out, because Simmons is such an interesting trade chip. Since he is an established All-Star but also just 25 years old, he appeals to teams playing for either the present or the future. Win-now hopefuls like the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers are in the running, per Fischer, but so are long-term rebuilders like the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets.
Given Philly's own hopes for contention, that might necessitate expanding trade talks beyond the typical two-team exchange. Most rebuilders don't have win-now pieces to send back to the Sixers, and most playoff hopefuls don't want to give up their best players.
Celtics Covet Simmons, Trade Could Cost Them Jaylen Brown
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While the Celtics have picked it up defensively of late, they still haven't been great on that end this season. Their ball movement has been worse—no one averages six assists per game—and given their roster construction, that issue may not solve itself.
Boston has held talks with Philadelphia about Ben Simmons, per The Athletic's Shams Charania, presumably to strengthen the two aforementioned areas. But there's a gigantic catch: "Any potential Simmons deal with the Celtics would have to include All-Star forward Jaylen Brown."
That should probably be a deal-breaker for Boston, as Brown has arguably played his way into or at least near untouchable territory. The 25-year-old, who made his All-Star debut last season, plays both ends at a high level and keeps improving his offensive output.
Maybe that's why Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens dumped a bucket of ice water over this rumor.
"I just walked up to Jaylen and said, 'Hey, your name's all over the place, as you know. Obviously, from our standpoint, you're a Celtic and a guy that we obviously think exceptionally high of, and, you know, nothin' doin','" Stevens said Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher and Rich show (h/t NBC Sports Boston). "I just wanted to make sure he had that peace of mind."
John Wall Unlikely to Play at All This Season
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John Wall lost the entire 2019-20 season to injuries. He reportedly could lose his second campaign in three years, only this time it won't be injury-related.
Before this season tipped, he and the rebuilding Houston Rockets agreed he wouldn't play for them this season while they searched for his next hoops home. Now, it seems that search could carry over into the offseason.
"There are no plans for John Wall to play for the Rockets, and it's becoming increasingly likely that John Wall may not play anywhere in the NBA this season, because the cost of his contract right now is just too prohibitive," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
Wall, who averaged 20.6 points but shot a career-worst 40.4 percent in 40 games last season, is owed a whopping $44.3 million this season and has a $47.4 million player option for 2022-23, per Spotrac. That's far too much for what he offers at this point, not to mention it's tricky to fit such a massive amount into a trade. A buyout seems the most likely ending to this partnership, and it apparently could be a while before either side signs off on that kind of split.
