Ben Simmons has agreed to a contract buyout with the Brooklyn Nets and intends to sign with the LA Clippers after clearing waivers, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Saturday.
A three-time All-Star, Simmons joins the Clippers as a high-upside addition in the buyout field. The Clippers have had tremendous success on the buyout market in recent years, with productive stints from Russell Westbrook, Nicolas Batum and Reggie Jackson.
Simmons, 28, has spent three seasons in Brooklyn since he was acquired in a deal that sent James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. He has dealt with a variety of injuries in those years and has played more than 40 games just once with the Nets.
Simmons now will team up with Harden in Los Angeles for a Clippers team that entered play Saturday seventh in the Western Conference standings after dropping three straight.
This season, Simmons is averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 25 minutes per game. At 6-foot-10, Simmons remains a versatile defender and a strong passer for his size, but his limitations as a shooter have made it difficult for him to thrive in certain lineups.
Simmons is in the final year of a five-year, maximum contract he signed with the Sixers. He’s set to hit free agency this summer. In addition to the Clippers, Simmons also met with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
