Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook could remain unsigned entering training camp. And that feels odd. Simmons is a former No. 1 overall pick. Westbrook is a future Hall of Famer. But it’s fair to wonder if there’s any place left for either in the NBA.
Think about that. Simmons, with no team? Westbrook, with no hoops home? There will come a day when all pros will have to realize the end of their career is here. For Simmons and Westbrook, well, we may have reached that point.
I doubt it, but maybe.
“I like both players, and I think they could help us,” one NBA scout told Hoops Wire. “But honestly, no longer on anything more than minimum salaries. They’re limited in what they can do nowadays.”
Simmons and Westbrook both would want more than the veteran’s minimum salary. They may go unsigned before camp because of it.
“Look, this isn’t 2017 or 2019 anymore,” another scout told Hoops Wire. “If Westbrook goes unsigned, or Simmons, it’s not that big of a deal. You can find younger guys like them for cheaper. It’s nothing personal. But everyone gets old, and with Simmons, there are some major flaws there that aren’t ever going away. So why not give someone else a try?”
As I’ve said repeatedly here and on the airwaves, I doubt that Westbrook and Simmons go unsigned beyond December or January.
“But it very well could take that long,” the first scout said. “Clearly, no one is in a major rush to sign either player, and I for one totally get that.”
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