Ben Simmons intends to sign with Clippers, per sources, after being waived by Nets

Point guard Ben Simmons intends to sign with the LA Clippers after being waived by the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, league sources said.

The move comes after The Athletic reported Friday that the two sides were working toward a contract buyout and Simmons would meet with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Clippers and Houston Rockets.

Simmons is in the final year of a five-year, $177 million extension he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. He is earning $40.34 million this season.

Simmons, 28, joins the Clippers, who were active at the trade deadline. On Thursday, LA acquired Bogdan Bogdanović, along with three second-round picks in exchange for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland.

Before that, the Clippers traded backup center Mo Bamba, a 2030 second-round pick and the contract of P.J. Tucker to the Utah Jazz for backup center Drew Eubanks and veteran guard Patty Mills on Feb. 1. The deal allowed the Clippers to save $6 million, avoid the luxury tax and the repeater that would come with it and have an alternative at backup center.

The Clippers are 28-23 and seventh in the Western Conference.

Simmons will join his third NBA team after being dealt to the Nets in February 2022 as a key piece in the multiplayer trade that involved James Harden going to Philadelphia. Simmons drew the ire of Sixers fans after he requested a trade following the team’s exit in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2021. He then sat out the entire 2021-22 season, citing a focus on his mental health.

Through 33 games this season, Simmons is averaging 6.2 points, 6.9 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 24 starts. He saw limited playing time as he dealt with injuries and played in just 15 games last season while dealing with a nerve impingement in his lower back.

Injuries have derailed what had been the start of a promising career. Simmons made three straight All-Star teams in Philadelphia and was voted third-team All-NBA in the 2019-20 season as a 23-year-old.

How he’ll help the Clippers

The Clippers have a rare need for a player like Simmons after trading five players, acquiring four players and being left not only with an open roster spot but multiple players who could offer roster flexibility.

I am told that Simmons is looking for stability and a winning environment. The Clippers need two things that Simmons can theoretically provide: a versatile defender capable of being big enough to guard centers in second units, and a decent ballhandler and playmaker for one of the worst teams in the league at protecting the basketball.

LA’s current depth chart has no true point guard or center. Simmons’ position has fluctuated between both, especially in his Nets career.

The Clippers signaled with the trade of Tucker and Bamba to Utah that they intended to be buyout market players. This is the initial foray into that endeavor. — Law Murray, Clippers beat writer

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