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Former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons was ruled out for the remainder of the NBA season due to a nerve impingement in his lower back. The Brooklyn Nets revealed the news on social media early Thursday morning.
That setback effectively relegates Simmons to bench duty, a trend that’s been all too familiar during his time in Brooklyn. Since demanding to be traded to the Nets in the middle of the 2021-22, he’s seen action in just 57 games.
Simmons has dealt with these lingering back issues since arriving to the Big Apple, missing the entire ’21-22 campaign. After rehabbing throughout the offseason, he made a return to the court in ’22-23.
The forward saw action in 42 games, making 33 starts before being sidelined once again.
This year, he played in just 15 contests (12 starts) before being ruled out for good.
Ben Simmons Medical Update:
Ben Simmons will remain out for the remainder of the season while he consults with specialists and explores treatment options for the nerve impingement in his lower back. Simmons, along with his representatives and Nets medical personnel, are…
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 7, 2024
The issues have not only led to his missing game time, but they’ve also created conflict with teammates. What they haven’t affected, though, is his bank account.
When the season ends, 246 regular season games will have passed over the last three years. Ben Simmons will have seen the floor in 23% of those games, averaging 6.7 points a night.
His annual salary over that time? North of $30M in each campaign, with that total continuing to rise!
According to Spotrac, Simmons’ made $33M in 2021-22, $35.4M the following season, and is set to finish at $37.9M this year – a combined $106.3M!
Ben Simmons timeline in Brooklyn:
2021-22: 0 games ($33 million)
2022-23: 42 games ($35.4 million)
2023-24: 17 games ($37.9 million)He’s owed $40.3 million in 2024-25.
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) March 7, 2024
Divvy that up across 57 contests, and it comes out to around $1.8M per game played.
And the Nets aren’t done paying yet!
They still owe him another $40.3M next year, whether he plays or not.
Brooklyn will soon have a decision to make on the once highly regarded talent. Buy him out and cut ties or hold out to see if he can become a productive contributor for the final season of his contract.
Either way, Ben Simmons is unlikely to live up to the billing of that $40M price tag.