Want to get a rise out of Boston Celtics fans? Just mention the name Ben Simmons.
The former Philadelphia 76ers star and NBA Rookie of the Year battled the Celtics for four season as part of the Celtics-Sixers rivalry. But he’s fallen off a cliff since then while dealing with physical and mental health issues and currently is a free agent after finishing the 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Sounds like someone the Celtics would want no business with, right? Well, apparently not: According to longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein, Boston is among the teams with interest in Simmons in free agency.
While C’s fans may balk at the idea of signing a player who scored four total points in five playoff games for the Clippers and literally can’t shoot 3-pointers, Simmons’ size (6-foot-10, 240 pounds) and unique skill set as a passer, defender and rebounder at least warrant some further discussion.
So, Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg and MassLive.com’s Brian Robb decided to dive into the Simmons debate on the latest episode of the Celtics Talk Podcast.
🔊 Celtics Talk Podcast: Smart, Simmons, and Summer League Overreactions | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
“I think you look at it two different ways,” Robb told Forsberg. “One, you look at what they’ve done this offseason of being like ‘OK, we need to find the next diamond in the rough. We got (Luka) Garza. We got (Josh) Minott. (Hugo) Gonzalez had a solid Summer League. But there’s still just a big void for where (Jayson) Tatum’s minutes would have been this year.’
“And Simmons does a lot — obviously doesn’t do anything nearly as well as Tatum does — but (he) does some of it. He at least has size and can rebound and can pass.”
To Robb’s point, the Celtics are entering a “reset” season with Tatum sidelined due to a ruptured Achilles. And while Simmons is a virtual non-factor in the scoring column, he did average 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game last season in relatively limited minutes (22 per game) and would provide some defensive versatility.
So, while Simmons wouldn’t be an ideal fit for several reasons — he’s extremely injury-prone and hasn’t played more than 51 games in a season since 2020-21 — Boston needs to explore all of its options while trying to build a roster on a limited budget.
“Every time I just want to dismiss it and be like, ‘This makes no sense,’ the other part of me says, ‘This is why the Celtics have to take random swings,'” Forsberg said. “This is why you make the call on Damian Lillard. This is why you maybe make the call on Ben Simmons. Beggars can’t be choosers.
“It goes back to what I keep saying: If you think that the Celtics are still at least in the mix with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard in that core … then every piece you can add gives you at least a little bit better chance.
“… I don’t hate the idea of trying to find a couple of those guys that you’re just like, ‘Hey, there’s opportunity. Do you want it?'”
The question, of course, is whether Simmons would seize that opportunity after failing to stick with both Brooklyn and Los Angeles — and whether the Celtics are better off giving that opportunity to someone else.
“I just don’t know if you’re ever going to fully tap into it,” Forsberg added of Simmons. “I think the one thing that you always worry about is just, how much is his head into it? It just hasn’t happened at any of these stops.
“But you see this across the league: Everyone thinks they can turn the guy around a little bit, and maybe the Celtics are just like, ‘In a year that’s going to get a little weird, maybe you take some weird swings.”
Also in this episode:
- Chris and Brian react to Marcus Smart signing with the Lakers.
- Brian shares his Summer League overreactions, including: Baylor Scheierman’s defense and ball-handling and Hugo Gonzalez’s all-around effort.
- When does the next shoe drop for Boston?
Read the full article here