Ben’s shock value drop laid bare; rivals’ bid for stud revealed — Aussie NBA trade watch

SIMMONS’ SHOCK DROP IN VALUE

This time last year, all eyes were on what the 76ers were going to do with Ben Simmons amid a season-long trade standoff that threatened to carry into the off-season with an array of suitors lining up for the Aussie.

Philadelphia was targeting a top 25 star in return and was linked to names like Jaylen Brown, Damian Lillard and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander before eventually trading Simmons to Brooklyn for James Harden.

Twelve months on and Simmons has been labelled “essentially tradeable” in a wild drop in value amid a disappointing first season at the Nets hampered by ongoing knee soreness.

The former All-Star has averaged a career low 7.4 points. 6.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game and Nets coach Jacques Vaughn has even been benching him late in games.

While he’s still an elite defender and playmaker, Simmons’ offensive game has completely dropped away and his free throw woes have gotten worse.

Even Vaughn appears to be growing increasingly frustrated with the 26-year old, with the Nets boss rolling his eyes when talking about Simmons’ knee soreness after the team’s loss to the Pistons last week.

It comes as The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reports Brooklyn isn’t looking to be complacent at the deadline and is actively looking for upgrades – most needed in the frontcourt – despite sitting fourth in the East at 31-19.

But Brooklyn has limited assets and financial flexibility, with Simmons taking up a big chunk of salary – the team’s third-highest paid player behind Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at $35 million this season. And a damning report has suggested the Aussie himself won’t be going anywhere anytime soon by the way of obligation.

The Athletic’s John Hollinger said he was being paid “roughly three times what he’s worth” while fellow reporter Alex Schiffer added Simmons was playing “closer to a taxpayer’s midlevel player” and that he doesn’t see a trade market for him.

“As for trading Simmons, good luck with that,” Hollinger wrote. “The Nets would need to attach draft picks, not receive them, and — last I checked — they need a permission slip from the Rockets to do anything with any of their draft capital.

“I just don’t see any cap situation right now on another roster where exchanging for Simmons would be helpful, and that won’t change unless either Simmons plays better or another player on a huge contract plays badly enough that trading him for Simmons becomes palatable. (Although, I must admit it would be hilarious to see a Simmons-Tobias Harris challenge trade that sends him back to Philly).

“I mean, would you trade Simmons to Dallas for Davis Bertans and Tim Hardaway, Jr.? Those are the types of deals you’re probably looking at.”

A MILLS MOVE

On the topic of the Nets and potential roster changes, Patty Mills himself has been linked to trade rumours.

The report from The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor about Brooklyn exploring moves stated Joe Harris ($18.6 million), Seth Curry ($8.5 million) and Mills ($6.5 million) could all be traded given their short-term salaries and that they’ve had reduced roles this season.

It comes after Mills signed a two-year, $14.5 million extension with the Nets last year, however he’s been used sparingly in Jacque Vaughn’s deep rotation including just five appearances from early December to mid-January before getting more minutes over the last couple of weeks.

And the 34-year old reminded the NBA world what he could do in the Nets’ win over the Lakers this week, scoring 21 points with four triples in 26 minutes off the bench in one of his best performances of the season.

It may only be one game, but it would’ve helped bump up his trade value in a showcase to rival teams looking for more shooting and a veteran who can still produce at a high level. It also showed Vaughn that, if Mills remains in Brooklyn, he can deliver when called upon and is another viable option for his rotation – regardless of whether or not the Nets off-load Harris and/or Curry or others.

Don’t rule out Mills landing at his fourth NBA team, but where and exactly what his role would look like is unknown.

Could a reunion in San Antonio with Gregg Popovich to help nurture its rebuilding roster be on the cards?

DOES THUNDER DO ANYTHING?

OK, so Josh Giddey’s situation is probably the most stable of any Aussie ahead of the trade deadline.

But it’d be remiss not to highlight how the dynamics in Oklahoma City could change – if only marginally – especially with how the team has unexpectedly pushed into playoff contention behind breakout superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a second-year leap from the 20-year old Giddey.

And with injured Pick 2 Chet Holmgren set to return next season, it may have forced Thunder general manager Sam Presti to rethink plans and accelerate the team’s rebuild, or at the very least, entertain some moves, with the franchise armed with a surplus of draft picks.

OKC does have two traded player exceptions – worth $10.2 million and $4.2 million respectively – to play with, too.

The Ringer mock traded Spurs big man Jakob Poeltl to the Thunder as one idea, while Thunder Intentions questioned whether OKC could be the mystery Western Conference team that reportedly offered three first-round picks for Toronto’s OG Anunoby.

You sense either proposition, albeit, probably unlikely, is the biggest OKC would go in a trade, if it makes any move at all.

But would it genuinely impact Giddey’s role?

The Thunder wouldn’t want to tinker with the chemistry between Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey that has blossomed, nor tamper with the latter’s recent surge, with player development still the overriding priority for the franchise.

And so if adding another scorer was the path they went down, that player brought in would likely be a No. 3 offensive option at most,

It probably makes more sense for OKC to land a more seasoned big man, even if they aren’t of the calibre of Poeltl. It could actually help Giddey by adding a genuine screener and having more structure on the court.

If anything, a potential Thunder move is more fascinating from a standpoint of propelling the Thunder in the playoff race to potentially give Giddey his first taste of post-season action.

THYBULLE’S FUTURE AS AUSSIES COULD UNITE

The only other Aussie who’s actually been specifically linked to trades himself, Matisse Thybulle’s future in Philadelphia is uncertain.

That much was already apparent though before the trade rumours surfaced after the defensive stud failed to reach a rookie-scale contract extension with the team – making him a restricted free agent at season’s end – while falling out of favour in the Sixers’ deepened rotation this season.

Thybulle is seen as one of Philly’s trade chips should it look to swing a move by next week’s deadline, and according to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Sacramento Kings, who fellow Aussie Matthew Dellavedova plays for, are monitoring his availability in a bid to bolster their perimeter defence.

Thybulle was alsos linked to the Golden State Warriors, who have had “internal discussions” about the Australian and “like him as a defensive stopper” per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.

Of course, Thybulle is seen as one of the best defenders in the NBA, having made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in sophomore (2021) and third season (2022), however he has limitations offensively.

A move to the Kings, Warriors – or another team – would probably be best for the 25-year old’s career to get more on-court opportunities despite currently playing for one of the title favourites.

But as Philly Voice’s Kyle Neubeck wrote, factoring in Thybulle is making just under $4.4 million in the last season of his rookie deal, it’d be hard to find a deal that genuinely improves the Sixers for the now.

“Perhaps you could talk the right team (even the Kings) to surrender a late first-round pick or early second for that privilege, and while that‘d be a nice return, you’re left to wonder how that helps a Sixers team trying to win a title right now,” Neubeck wrote.

“The Kings aren‘t likely to sacrifice draft capital plus any of their presently useful players just to go and get Thybulle, and that makes life tough for the Sixers. Are you willing to chase max return on Thybulle while losing an option in the rotation? That feels unlikely. Maybe you could spin picks into a multi-team deal with more players outgoing and incoming, but that’s a much more involved consideration than this.

“There’s also the salary factor. In the final year of his rookie deal, Thybulle is making just under $4.4 million, so the sort of player he would return in a deal straight up is another player of his profile: young, somewhat flawed, and perhaps headed toward a bigger payday. For the Kings specifically, straight-up deals would only work for Alex Len or Terrance Davis, neither of whom is a needle-mover.

“In a deal involving the players we mentioned as outgoing candidates previously (Danuel House, Furkan Korkmaz, Jaden Springer), there isn’t much changing, as many of Sacramento’s players are duplicative with talent on hand in Philly.”

AYON’S FUTURE IMPACTING JOCK

The Suns are one of the big teams to watch ahead of the deadline as they contemplate shaking things up amid a big drop off this season.

Phoenix’s mooted deals include offloading DeAndre Ayton despite the star centre re-signing on a four-year, $133 million maximum contract extension in the off-season, with Bleacher Report revealing the Suns “aren’t married” to the big man but adding any significant decision on his future could be put off.

If Phoenix traded Ayton and didn’t receive a notable big back in the deal, it could open up genuine NBA opportunities for Jock Landale and a proper chance to shine.

Landale and Bismack Biyombo have effectively split time as the backup centre in Phoenix this season (14 minutes each), and so long as Ayton is in town, the 27-year old Aussie’s role will be limited.

However in games Ayton has missed, Landale has shown promising flashes, and you could argue the Suns wouldn’t be that worse off with he and Biyombo sharing the role permanently – and that they’d improve overall with a big upgrade elsewhere.

Landale’s per 36 stats – 17 points per game, 9.7 rebounds, 1.5 three-pointers and 1.3 blocks – suggest he’s more than capable to play bigger minutes on top of shooting 52 per from the field and 83 per cent from the line.

YOUNG GUNS ROLES

Both the Mavericks and Pelicans are among sides that have been linked to making upgrades in potential bids to push higher in the Western Conference standings.

And that has to mean something for Josh Green and Dyson Daniels.

While some may consider Green himself as trade bait as the Mavs desperately search for help, a report from the Athletic stated the team views the 22-year old as a long-term piece alongside Luka Doncic and its third most important player after the Slovenian superstar and Spencer Dinwiddie.

And it’s become clear with Green playing big minutes upon his return from injury amid a breakout season where he’s basically functioned as Dallas’ sixth man how highly valued he is by the organisation.

So even if the Mavs make a big move, don’t expect Green to be marginalised in any way, and frankly, they don’t have that many other promising young guns coming through.

Daniels’ situation in New Orleans is seemingly more fluid though.

As impressive as the rookie has been, particularly on the defensive end, there’s scenarios where a key Pelicans trade could see his role both increase and decrease.

After all, Daniels has really only gotten big opportunities while the Pelicans have been hit with injuries, and at full strength, it’s a stacked roster with scarce minutes.

If New Orleans was to shed some of its depth for an upgrade, that could work in Daniels’ favour. Conversely, they could land a player without losing much that moves ahead of the 19-year old in the current pecking order.

This doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a big part of the Pelicans’ future and key building block, but his role has already been inconsistent on a nightly basis – so a trade could further complicate things.

Regardless, he should still have a role to play for Willie Green’s side.

INGLES’ TITLE CHANCES

It’s Joe Ingles’ best chance yet to win an NBA championship on a potent Bucks team led by Giannis Antetokounmpo.

And while Milwaukee is already right among the title favourites, a deadline deal could boost their prospects.

Although they haven’t been linked to any major names, the likes of Eric Gordon and Jae Crowder could make their way to Mike Budenholzer’s side as reported targets.

There’s a greater urgency for Milwaukee to make such a move with Khris Middleton so hampered by injury this season, which has also given Ingles, 35, increased playmaking abilities.

No matter, the Bucks are in good shape and will be a seriously tough unit for opposition to run into in the playoffs.