Ben Simmons finalizing contract buyout with Nets

The Ben Simmons saga successful Brooklyn is nearing its end.

League sources confirmed to the Daily News that the 6-10 defender is finalizing a declaration buyout with the Nets and is acceptable to go a escaped agent. He volition not beryllium with the squad during Friday’s matchup against the Miami Heat astatine Barclays Center.

Simmons, 28, has averaged 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists successful 33 appearances this season, including 24 starts, his astir since joining the Nets successful 2022-23. The three-time All-Star, successful the last twelvemonth of a five-year declaration helium signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, is owed $40.3 cardinal this season.

The Nets person a 13-20 grounds with Simmons successful 2024-25 and are 44-46 with him each time. He had a NET standing of -3.8 successful 825 minutes this season.

“Whenever he’s retired there, everybody plays hard,” Nets defender Keon Johnson said. “Guys play highly hard moving successful transition, knowing that he’s 1 of those guys that tin beauteous overmuch get it to you whenever.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers person reportedly emerged arsenic imaginable suitors for Simmons. The 7 teams that aren’t allowed to motion a subordinate that is waived and had a pre-existing wage of astatine slightest $12.8 cardinal are the Knicks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns.

“I emotion playing — connected and disconnected the tribunal — with him,” Johnson said. “Great feline disconnected the court. He conscionable brings truthful galore antithetic — conscionable being versatile connected the court, bringing a batch of antithetic things we tin bash defensively, scheme-wise and besides connected the violative extremity arsenic well.”

Simmons, inactive recovering from offseason surgery, was not cleared to play successful back-to-back sets this season. He underwent a palmy microscopic partial discectomy successful March to alleviate the pinched nervus successful his little backmost that constricted him to conscionable 15 games successful 2023-24 — his 2nd country since helium was acquired successful the James Harden woody successful 2022.

“I conscionable commune helium tin travel backmost healthy,” erstwhile Nets interim caput manager Kevin Ollie said. “I privation him to person religion that helium tin travel backmost and beryllium the Ben Simmons we cognize helium tin be. And we can’t speculate connected what’s going to hap successful the aboriginal oregon regret what happened successful the past.”

Simmons attempted 7.4 tract goals and 1.1 escaped throws per 36 minutes this season, which are some vocation lows. He ends his Nets tenure with 90 games played and zero playoff appearances implicit 3 seasons.

“For me, it’s hard to bash your occupation erstwhile you’re injured,” Simmons told reporters successful September. “So, I’ve had astir a twelvemonth and a fractional oregon 2 years of conscionable backmost and distant with the backmost wounded and past the knee. And finally, being successful a spot wherever I’m capable to compete, and past enactment connected my crippled each time and person nary setbacks. So, that portion of it is casual for maine now, conscionable going into this twelvemonth of being steadfast and being prepared and acceptable to go. And having the anticipation to play, I don’t privation to deliberation astir thing else.”