As the Brooklyn Nets prepared for Monday’s Game 4 against the Boston Celtics, they hoped Ben Simmons, who was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 10, could provide a needed boost.
Simmons has not played a single minute of basketball in the 2021-22 season. He held out of training camp and the preseason after demanding to be traded, dealt with mental health issues during the season while with Philadelphia and then back problems after being traded to Brooklyn. The Nets hoped he would join the team during the first-round series, and he and the team were targeting Game 4.
However, Simmons has been ruled out after he woke up on Sunday with back soreness. Now, it looks as if he will not play a single game for the Nets during the season. That news set NBA Twitter ablaze, and even some folks in other sports went after him. Everybody was shocked and confused by the news.