Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons has had one of the most eventful stories over the past three seasons as plenty has happened to him and the teams that he’s been on. Brooklyn heads into the 2024-25 season hoping that Simmons can be healthy for most of the season while looking somewhat close to what he was with the Philadelphia 76ers.
David Kenyon of Bleacher Report recently wrote an article listing seven players that have had the worst contracts over the past five seasons and anyone reading this knows where this is going. Simmons was one of the players listed, along with the likes of players like Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris and Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal.
Simmons, 27, is heading into the final year of a five-year, $177 million designated rookie extension that he signed with the 76ers in July of 2019. While most NBA fans are familiar with Simmons because of how much he is talked about due to his inability to remain healthy and his lack of production compared to his deal.
Simmons was in a unique position as he didn’t play his first season in the NBA after fracturing the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot in training camp. However, Simmons won Rookie of the Year for the 2017-18 season and he followed that up by being named first team All-Defense, third team All-NBA, made his first All-Star game, and earned the fourth-most votes for Defensive Player of the Year.
Simmons making this list as one of the worst contracts over the past half-decade is not surprising given that he only had one season (2020-21) where he performed to his expectations while making the big bucks. Since that season, Simmons has been dealing with a variety of injuries, mostly with his back, and when he’s been healthy, he’s looked like a shell of his former self.
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