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Nets Rumors: Simmons, Irving, Harris, Curry, Dragic

April 27th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

When Ben Simmons and agent Rich Paul met with Nets leadership – including GM Sean Marks – earlier this week, Simmons told the people in the room that he’s experiencing a “mental block,” which is creating stress that could be exacerbating his back problems, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The setback Simmons experienced prior to his anticipated Nets debut in Game 4 of the team’s first-round series vs. Boston was initially described as a physical one — he was said to be suffering from renewed back pain. But Charania’s report suggests there are still mental obstacles to clear before Simmons returns to the court.

Reporting this week from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype backs up that idea. Fischer wrote that it’s “quite clear that the mental aspect of Simmons’ return to game action is the biggest hurdle” he has to overcome, while Scotto has heard from a source close to Simmons that the 25-year-old is “going through it right now mentally.”

According to Charania, Nets officials told Simmons in this week’s meeting that the franchise is willing to do whatever is necessary to support him, and Scotto hears that the team has indeed been “supportive at every turn,” making the three-time All-Star more comfortable than he was in Philadelphia. Simmons didn’t end up making it back this season, but Scotto’s source is “very confident” he’ll return to action next season.

Here’s more on the Nets:

  • Echoing Jake Fischer’s reporting from earlier in the week, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer suggests a Simmons trade this offseason is unlikely because teams are warier than ever about his condition. A source from a non-playoff team that was previously interested in Simmons told O’Connor, “We’re at the point we’d want to see him play first.”
  • Within his story on the Nets, O’Connor writes that there were “crickets” earlier in the 2021/22 season when the team was reportedly willing to listen to trade inquiries on Kyrie Irving.
  • The Nets had some interest in acquiring an athletic wing defender such as Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, or Marcus Smart prior to this year’s trade deadline, according to Scotto, who thinks the team could explore the trade market for that type of player again this offseason. Scotto speculates that Brooklyn might dangle one of its sharpshooters – Joe Harris or Seth Curry – in those talks.
  • Goran Dragic, who turns 36 next Friday, isn’t considered retirement. The veteran point guard said this week that he’d like to play for two or three more seasons, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Dragic will be a free agent this summer after signing a rest-of-season contract with Brooklyn in February.
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Nets Notes: Nash, Simmons, Irving, Durant, Offseason

April 26th, 2022 at 10:39am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote on Monday that Steve Nash will likely keep the Nets‘ head coaching job despite a disappointing season, as long as he retains the confidence of star forward Kevin Durant and team owner Joe Tsai. Durant expressed his support for Nash following Monday’s loss and there’s no indication that Tsai is considering a change.

According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, if a coaching change does occur in Brooklyn, it seems more likely to happen because Nash steps away from the job, not because he’s fired. There has been speculation about the possibility in league circles, says Fischer, since the former NBA MVP has had to deal with more drama and adversity than expected since taking over the position in 2020.

However, sources tell Fischer that Nash is acting as if he plans to remain in Brooklyn going forward, and he that was the message he conveyed when speaking to reporters on Monday after the Nets’ season ended.

“I loved doing this and love these guys, love my staff, love all the departments. Really have a great working environment, really enjoyed it and want to continue doing it,” Nash said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Ben Simmons and Joe Harris will give us a big lift and we’ll see how the rest of the roster rounds out, but we should be excited by that. Getting two of your top four guys back — two guys with size, one who’s an All-Star and one who’s one of the best shooters in the league — that gives us a big boost.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

  • Fischer’s latest story for Bleacher Report includes a closer look at the Ben Simmons situation, with sources telling Fischer that people around Simmons had wanted him to make his Nets debut this spring to establish more of a connection with his new teammates. Nets staffers are hoping he’ll spend plenty of time this summer around the team’s practice facility, rather than “enjoying a celebrity vacation mindset,” Fischer adds.
  • According to Fischer, there has already been some speculation around the league about whether the Nets would consider trading Simmons this offseason, but that scenario appears unlikely. “Brooklyn just has to play it out a little bit. You don’t really have a choice,” a rival general manager told Bleacher Report. “I just don’t think (Simmons) has any real trade value. He hasn’t been accountable for two franchises. He hasn’t played an entire season due to a back injury. How can you do a trade with the chance he reports and then says he can’t play because of the back again?”
  • Kyrie Irving admitted on Monday that his inability to play for much of the season due to his vaccination status was a “distraction at times” for the Nets, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I felt like I was letting the team down at a point where I wasn’t able to play,” Irving said. “We were trying to exercise every option for me to play, but I never wanted it to just be about me.” The star point guard remains optimistic about the future in Brooklyn: “We lost a franchise player (James Harden) and we got a franchise player back (Simmons). But we didn’t get a chance to see him on the floor. There was no pressure for (Simmons) to step on the floor with us either. Ben’s good. We have Ben, we have his back. He’s going to be good for next year. But now we just turn the page and look forward to what we’re building as a franchise and really get tougher.”
  • Speaking to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, Kevin Durant admitted that he was frustrated by Irving’s vaccine-related absences this season and wished Harden’s situation had played out differently, but said his bond with Irving remains strong and he wasn’t mad at Harden. Durant also pushed back against the notion that franchise players like him and LeBron James dictate roster moves for their respective teams. “I feel like that’s a narrative that (the media created). I don’t even think LeBron does that,” Durant told Goodwill. “He might have input or know some information. But him saying, ‘This is who you should get, that’s who you should get,’ I don’t think it works like that.”
  • Ramona Shelburne of ESPN takes a look back at what went wrong for the Nets in 2021/22, explaining why the franchise must take responsibility for several of its setbacks, which weren’t just the result of bad luck.
  • ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype preview the upcoming offseason in Brooklyn, with a focus on Kyrie Irving’s free agency, while Alex Schiffer of The Athletic lays out 10 important questions for the organization to answer this summer.
  • In case you missed it, we also passed along several Nets notes on Monday night.
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Nets Notes: Irving, Brown, Simmons, Draft Picks, Durant, Nash

April 25th, 2022 at 10:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After the Nets got swept out of the playoffs by the Celtics on Monday night, Kyrie Irving said he plans on remaining in Brooklyn. Irving can become an unrestricted free agent if he declines his $36.9MM option. Whether he opts in or negotiates a new free agent contract, Irving doesn’t see himself playing elsewhere, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets.

“In terms of my extension, man, I don’t really plan on going anywhere,” he said. “So this is just added motivation for our franchise to be at the top of the league for the next few years.”

Irving made an eyebrow-raising comment that he and Kevin Durant will essentially work in tandem with owner Joe Tsai and GM Sean Marks to improve the team, Scott Cacciola of the New York Times tweets.

“When I say I’m here with Kev, I think that really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe and Sean,” he said.

We have more on the Nets:

  • Swingman Bruce Brown is heading toward unrestricted free agency and was noncommittal about his plans, Lewis tweets. The Nets hold his Bird rights. “The season just ended; I’m not thinking about it,” Brown said. “If there’s a chance to stay, we’ll talk about it. But we’ll see.”
  • Ben Simmons wasn’t even at the arena when the Nets’ season ended. After promising reports that he’d make his team debut on Monday, Simmons didn’t play due to “physical and mental issues.” He wasn’t in the building due to his back ailment, Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated tweets.
  • Some league executives are skeptical of Simmons’ mental health claims, according to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. “To me, that’s the only untouchable excuse that they could have to get his money back (from the Sixers),” a source told Bulpett. There’s also skepticism that any head coach can get through to him. “He’s been enabled his entire life. He’s very aloof,” the source told Bulpett. “He’s a great player, but it’s all the extra stuff that no one’s held him accountable for, that’s just made it difficult.”
  • The Nets hold the Sixers’ 2022 and 2027 first-round picks and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski believes there’s a good chance they’ll move them to upgrade the roster, NetsDaily.com relays. “Ultimately, they may never use a player from those draft picks. They’re going to be trade assets,” he said.
  • Durant said coach Steve Nash remains the right man for the job, Lewis tweets. “Steve has been dealt a crazy hand the last two years, he’s been having to deal with so much stuff as a head coach for the first time, COVID, trades,” Durant said. “I’m proud of his passion for us.”
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Ben Simmons, Rich Paul Meet With Nets’ Leadership

April 25th, 2022 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets guard Ben Simmons and agent Rich Paul met with team leadership, including general manager Sean Marks, on Monday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

As Wojnarowski explains, the goal of the meeting was to determine how the two sides will continue to address the “physical and mental hurdles” that must be cleared to get Simmons back on the court. During the sitdown, Simmons reiterated his desire to play for the Nets, tweets Wojnarowski.

Simmons, who has dealt with mental health issues and a back injury this season, had reportedly been planning to make his Brooklyn debut in Game 4 on Monday after missing the entire season up until this point. However, the Nets announced on Sunday that he had been ruled out for that game — Simmons apparently experienced some back pain during the final stage of his ramp-up process.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Nets believe Simmons has made progress in his efforts to get mentally and physically ready to play, but they recognize there’s still some work to do.

Addressing Simmons’ status on Monday, Nets head coach Steve Nash suggested it wasn’t the team that was leaking those reports about the three-time All-Star gearing up to play in Game 4.

“I mean, I wasn’t really expecting him to play (on Monday),” Nash said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Like we’ve said all along, he’s trying to improve, he’s working through it. Reports that he was playing were from the outside, I don’t know where that came from. So we kind of stick to what we’ve always said; he’s still building himself up, still working through things, still trying to get strong enough and put himself in a position to play.”

Nash didn’t rule out the possibility that Simmons could play later in the series if the Nets win on Monday, though a Game 5 return in Boston seems unlikely.

For what it’s worth, Simmons isn’t scheduled to undergo another MRI on his back, according to Lewis, who says that both Nash and a source close to the 25-year-old have said he shouldn’t require surgery in the offseason to address the injury.

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Eastern Notes: Nets, Simmons, Okoro, Cunningham

April 24th, 2022 at 6:27pm CST by JD Shaw

The Nets are facing elimination after going down 3-0 to the Celtics in their first-round series. With their backs against the wall, the team will need a miracle to overcome such a deficit, Scott Cacciola of the New York Times writes.

No team has ever come back from trailing 3-0 in NBA history. It’s happened in other sports such as baseball — the Red Sox defeated the Yankees prior to the 2004 World Series — and the NHL has seen it happen four times. As other coaches like Toronto’s Nick Nurse have noted (the Raptors were down 3-0 entering Game 4), several NBA teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit, making Game 4 an important one.

Brooklyn will have to win on Monday to have any glimmer of hope. The following game would be played in Boston. If the team can somehow manage to steal that contest, Game 6 in Brooklyn could provide enough momentum for a Game 7. Then again, there’s a reason so few professional sports teams have been able to achieve this feat.

Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference:

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Ben Simmons Will Not Play In Game 4

April 24th, 2022 at 3:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Nets star Ben Simmons will not make his season debut in a do-or-die Game 4 of Brooklyn’s first-round series against the Celtics, scheduled for Monday, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

It had been assumed Simmons would suit up for the Nets tomorrow, provided his recovery from a herniated disc in his back did not face any setbacks. After getting an epidural to treat his back in March, Simmons had finally taken part in his first 4-on-4 scrimmage this week and was targeting Game 4 for his Nets debut.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets that both Brooklyn and Simmons anticipated he’d be able to hit the hardwood on Monday, but he did in fact face a setback following some scrimmaging on Saturday. According to Woj, Simmons said he woke up to a sore back on Sunday, and ultimately the club decided to keep their pricey new player sidelined for another game.

Boston currently leads the series 3-0. No team in NBA playoff history has managed to recover from that level of deficit, so from a strategic standpoint for Brooklyn, it makes sense to not throw Simmons into the fire at this point of the team’s season if he’s not 100% healthy.

Simmons had been trying to make a comeback in time to help his new club in the postseason. Brooklyn traded for the three-time All-Star in a blockbuster deadline deal with Philadelphia.

If the Nets wind up winning Game 4 at home, a fifth contest against the Celtics would be played in Boston on Wednesday.

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Nets Notes: Simmons, Nash, Durant, Griffin

April 23rd, 2022 at 8:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ben Simmons is targeting Monday’s Game 4 to make his debut with the Nets, but coach Steve Nash isn’t committing to anything, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Simmons went through a full workout today, which Nash said went well, but he cautioned that it’s difficult to start playing at this point of the season.

“I think it’s possible, but I’m not sure,” Nash told reporters before tonight’s game. “Like I said before, it’s not a normal return to play, having been off for nine months and being injured as long as he has been at the back of this, going on two months now – I think if I’m not mistaken – or more, so it’s not just, he got through three workouts and he’s ready to play. There’s a lot of bigger picture, bigger context — how he’s feeling, how able he would be to adapt to the environment. It’s a little different than playing a game that’s in the middle of the regular season so I think there’s a few factors at play to evaluate when he’s ready to play.”

Simmons was just cleared for contact five days ago as he continues to make progress from the back ailment that has kept him out of action since Brooklyn acquired him in February. He hasn’t played since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals more than 10 months ago.

There’s more on the Nets:

  • The Celtics‘ defensive approach has forced Kevin Durant into two of the worst playoff games of his career, observes Sam Amick of The Athletic. Amick talked to a pair of scouts who point out that Boston is being physical with Durant before he gets the ball and has guarded him with six different players so far. Durant is coming off a 4-for-17 performance in Game 2 and committed six turnovers in each of the first two games of the series.
  • The Nets are in danger of letting another of Durant’s prime years slip away, warns Ian O’Connor of The New York Post. O’Connor notes that it’s not a sure thing that Durant and Kyrie Irving will both be healthy at playoff time ever again, so the Nets should have a sense of urgency to get back in the series.
  • After missing the first two games of the series with a sprained left ankle, Blake Griffin was upgraded to available for Game 3, Lewis tweets. The veteran big man hasn’t played since April 2.
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Atlantic Notes: Siakam, Simmons, Smart, Maxey

April 23rd, 2022 at 11:33am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Raptors, down 3-0 in their first-round playoff series against the Sixers, need more production from star forward Pascal Siakam, but criticism of the 2020 All-Star should be nuanced, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.

Siakam underwhelmed during the team’s 104-101 Game 3 overtime loss on Wednesday, scoring just 12 points on 6-of-16 shooting, a far cry from the 22.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 6.5 APG he put up in the team’s two games in Philadelphia. Siakam also missed all five of his field goal attempts during the game’s second half and overtime.

Lewenberg writes that Sixers starting power forward Tobias Harris handles chief defensive duties on Siakam outside the paint, while All-Star center Joel Embiid guards him inside. Siakam has struggled to adjust to the defensive attention, but Lewenberg cautions that the 28-year-old still has room to grow, even after his six NBA seasons.

“I think for me, I just gotta stay aggressive, get to my spots and live with the results,” Siakam said. “I think that the experience from just being in the playoffs, we all learn from it. Even players that have been in the league a long time, that [have] been in many playoff games, I’m sure that there’s some series where they learn something about themselves or about their game or how they can evolve.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

  • In what has been a topsy-turvy kind of season for the Nets, it is perhaps fitting that the newest star player, Ben Simmons, is set to play for the first time in the fourth game of a playoff series, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Lewis observes that, should the Nets lose to the Celtics again tonight, Simmons will be rejoining the club as it faces a 3-0 deficit. Mental health issues and a desire to be traded resulted in Simmons opting to sit out while with the Sixers, prior to being traded in exchange for James Harden at the deadline. A back injury has hampered him since joining Brooklyn.
  • Celtics guard Marcus Smart, the newly-minted 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, hasn’t just been excellent on defense in helping Boston achieve a 2-0 series edge against the Nets, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. He is also averaging 16.0 PPG and 5.5 APG across the team’s first two playoff contests. After spending years as a combo guard, his emergence as a passer may be surprising some, but not Smart. “To hear people say I’m not a point guard or, oh my gosh, I can’t believe he’s a point guard — I was a top-six pick, as a point guard,” Smart said. “I was chosen as a point guard — for some reason. It is funny but I just continue to keep getting better, working on my game, and not really worried about everybody else.” Team president Brad Stevens praised Smart’s ability to handle plays mapped out by head coach Ime Udoka. “He’s got a lot of the qualities that really good point guards have,” Stevens said. “I think what we wanted to do this year, and Ime and his staff has done a really good job of coaching to, is we wanted to be big and versatile.”
  • Second-year Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey has taken significant strides this season, and that has continued apace during the team’s first-round matchup against the Raptors. Tim Bontemps of ESPN details Maxey’s rise, noting that he put in the hours during the offseason to grow his game as a long-range shooter. “In my exit interview [last season], my goal was to get one percent better every single day,” Maxey says. “I stuck with it the entire summer.” After shooting 54.7% from the restricted area during his rookie season, Maxey converted 60.5% of his looks around the rim this year. He also saw his three-point shooting improve from making 30.1% of his 1.7 looks a night last year to 42.7% on 4 attempts this year. “I would get up, and I’d be in the gym,” Maxey said of his prep as a three-point shooter during the offseason. “First one in the gym at 6 a.m. and I’d try to make at least 700, 800 shots. And then I’d go lift and I’d come back again at 10 [a.m.] and I’m doing the same thing.”
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New York Notes: Knicks, Randle, Offseason, Simmons

April 22nd, 2022 at 6:53pm CST by Rory Maher

Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News lists five offseason questions facing the Knicks, including whether the team will try to acquire free agent guard Jalen Brunson. New York has long been rumored to be interested in Brunson, and with his strong playoff performance so far — he’s averaging 32.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 5.0 APG on .507/.412/.850 shooting through three games — he should command a substantial contract.

Bondy also wonders whether the Knicks will pursue Donovan Mitchell or Bradley Beal this summer, among other questions facing the franchise.

Here’s more on the two teams based in New York:

  • The Knicks should part ways with Julius Randle this summer, opines Tommy Beer of BasketballNews.com. After becoming an All-Star, receiving a second-team All-NBA nod, and being named the league’s Most Improved Player in 2020/21, Randle had a tumultuous third season in New York. He was fined multiple times, had several incidents with the team’s fans, his numbers were down across the board, and his defense declined. Beer believes New York would still get a quality player in exchange for Randle, though he admits the team would undoubtedly be selling low on the talented forward.
  • Although they currently don’t have any cap space, the Knicks do have pathways to reshape their roster this summer, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), who breaks down the team’s options in his offseason guide.
  • Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link) explores how the Nets might use Ben Simmons if he returns to action against Boston — perhaps in Game 4. Lowe believes Simmons would initially come off the bench, and his addition would help Brooklyn’s defense, rebounding, and transition offense. A frontcourt featuring Simmons and Kevin Durant would provide more versatility than the team currently has at its disposal, Lowe notes.
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Injury Updates: Doncic, Booker, Barnes, Simmons

April 22nd, 2022 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Asked on Friday if he’s optimistic about Luka Doncic‘s odds of returning from his left calf strain in Game 4 of the team’s series vs. Utah on Saturday, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd replied, “Optimistic? That’s a good word. … He’s going in the right direction.”

As Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News writes, neither Doncic nor Kidd would guarantee that the All-NBA guard would be active on Saturday, preferring to emphasize caution. Doncic said he’ll do some more 5-on-5 work in practice today before any decisions are made about his status, but it sounds like it will once again be a game-time call.

The possibility of aggravating the injury will be an important consideration for the Mavericks and Doncic as they determine whether he’s ready to return. Doncic said today that it would have been “too much” risk to play in Game 3 on Thursday for that reason (Twitter link via Marc Stein). As it turned out, the Mavs didn’t need him, as Jalen Brunson led the team to a crucial win in Utah to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

  • Following up on Brian Windhorst’s report that Suns guard Devin Booker could miss two or three weeks due to his right hamstring strain, ESPN’s Zach Lowe (video link) said he has heard optimism that Booker’s timeline should be much closer to two weeks than three.
  • Raptors head coach Nick Nurse spoke after Wednesday’s Game 3 loss as if he expected rookie Scottie Barnes (left ankle sprain) to return for Game 4, but he tempered expectations on Barnes today, telling reporters that the forward is making progress but is doubtful to play on Saturday (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN). Nurse added that the series score isn’t a factor in determining Barnes’ availability — the team wants to get him more playoff experience, so if he’s ready to play, he’ll play (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca).
  • It appears Ben Simmons won’t be ready to play in Game 3 of the Nets‘ series vs. Boston on Saturday, but he told reporters today he’s “very hopeful” about returning soon and confirmed that Monday’s Game 4 looks like a “reasonable” target to make his Brooklyn debut, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. Shams Charania reported on Thursday that Simmons plans to play in Game 4.
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