Simmons could be added once his contract is bought out by the Nets.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have 13 players on their roster after trading Caris LeVert and Georges Niang for De’Andre Hunter. They will need to get to the minimum of 14 players at some point this season and can add up to 15. One of the players that they could target is Ben Simmons, who is expected to get bought out by the Brooklyn Nets.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Cavs and Los Angeles Clippers are teams that could be interested in adding Simmons once that happens. This backs up the reporting from a few weeks ago that linked Cleveland to Simmons.
“Sources tell me Ben Simmons, the three-time All-Star, and the Brooklyn Nets are working on a potential contract buyout to make him a free agent.”@ShamsCharania says the Clippers and the Cavs are potential suitors for Simmons pic.twitter.com/WqQvP2bi7o
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 6, 2025
The theoretical fit makes sense. The Cavs could use another able rebounder who could play the four. They also could use someone to be a bench playmaker with LeVert no longer in town. A previous version of Simmons could do that. The one that we’ve seen in Brooklyn this season might not be able to do so.
Simmons is averaging 6.2 points on 56.6% shooting with 6.9 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 25 minutes per contest. He’s played in 33 games for Brooklyn this season with 24 of them being starts.
Despite the decent assist numbers, Simmons has had a tough time taking care of the ball. This is the second season in a row he has the worst turnover percentage for a point guard with 2.7 giveaways per outing.
Even though the numbers aren’t super impressive, the impact stats have been solid. The Nets have been better on both sides of the ball with him on the court compared to when he’s off. This includes the offense being 5.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court.
This version of Simmons could be helpful, although the time and investment may not be worth it. He hasn’t been close to the guy he was with the Philadelphia 76ers in his last three seasons on the court. It’s very unlikely we’ll ever see that player again.
We’ll see how Koby Altman and the front office fill out the edge of the roster over the next few weeks.