Ben Simmons agrees to acquire the deal with Brooklyn Net and intends to sign with the LA Clippers after clearing the exemption, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Saturday.
The three-time All-Star Simmons will join the Clippers as an advanced addition at the buyout field. The Clippers have been a huge success in the buyout market in recent years, with productive stints from Russell Westbrook, Nicholas Batam and Reggie Jackson.
Simmons, 28, has spent three seasons in Brooklyn since being bought out in a deal that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. He dealt with a variety of injuries that year, playing more than 40 games online only once. When he left the franchise, he returned $1.1 million, a proportionate minimum contract in the buyout, sources told Charania.
Editor’s Pick
Simmons Now will work with Los Angeles’ Harden for the Clippers team, who played seventh Saturday in Western Conference standings after dropping three straights.
This season, Simmons averages 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 25 minutes per game. He believes that he will give the Clippers another much-needed playmaker and ball handler that will help ease some of the pressure on Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers also added Bogdan Bogdanovic this week to create more offense and shotmaking for their teams that exceeded expectations this season. The Clippers traded Terrance Mann for Atlanta as part of the deal that landed Bogdanovic. At 6 feet 10, Simmons can become a utility player like the Swiss Army Knife, which Mann was supposed to be for manager Tylou this season.
The Clippers are able to become another defender with glass size and help as Simmons creates more shots for his teammates and keeps pushing the top six spots in the playoffs after the All-Star break I certainly want to.
Simmons is the final year of the five-year maximum agreement he signed with the Six. He is scheduled to hit free agency this summer. In addition to the Clippers, Simmons also met the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
ESPN’s Youngmisuk contributed to this report.
