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Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers walks past Stephen Curry # 30 of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors could have added a three-time All-Star to their roster on Thursday, July 29th. Instead, they left the table.
According to a report by Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Golden State is reportedly up against former rookie of the year and All-NBA pick Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Warrior reject the high price of #Sixers, walk away from the Ben Simmons trade which focuses on Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman and four first rounds https://t.co/8rCz5ulNGI via @phillyinquirer
« Warriors reject the steep Asking price from #Sixers, stepping away from Ben Simmons’ deal focusing on Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman and four first rounds, « Pompey tweeted Thursday morning, just hours before the 2021 NBA draft.
The striker the Sixers have been in the league for five seasons and skipped the entire first year with an injury. In the following four years he was voted Rookie of the Year, elected to three All-Star Teams, received the All-NBA Third Team Award in 2020 and is considered perhaps the best and / or most versatile defender in the entire world league / p> His presence in Philadelphia, however, has become inedible to the notoriously die-hard fans of this franchise, who ridiculed the young star for his inability to constantly take, or even take, jump shots, namely past the 3-point line.
During the 2021 playoff run, which ended with a Game 7 loss to Trae Young and upstart Atlanta Hawks, Simmons disappeared offensively in the crucial fourth quarter. The majority of NBA analysts argued that the striker became unplayable in tight games and appeared to be afraid of shooting or even being fouled due to ongoing fighting from the free throw line. The Sixers stepped in as the No. 1 seed the Eastern Conference into the postseason. After losing in a disappointing way, neither head coach Doc Rivers nor MVP candidate and team leader Joel Embiid came to Simmons’ defense when asked if the team should be rebuilt next year to the way it was built next year , or whether Philadelphia could ever win a title with its current line-up.
All of this rhetoric led to a public perception of Simmons that is « less than » from a fan perspective, which could have led to the Warriors’ decision to off the table believing Philadelphia was asking too much for a star whose stock is at an all-time low.
GettyThe Big Three of the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green [left], Klay Thompson [center] and Steph Curry [right], have been out of court together for two full seasons due to multiple injuries.
Both lottery draft picks from this season should be included in every trade, that the Warriors could take down to win an all-star caliber player. Lottery tips are nice assets, but the 2021 NBA draft is widely seen as four or five top contenders, with a sharp drop after that. The discussion about the value of Golden State’s two lottery picks changes significantly if the Warriors along with 14th place hold a top 4 pick instead of 7th and 14th place.
Any general manager or president of basketball Operations worth the money, which the Sixers’ Daryl Morey sure is, won’t agree to give away a superstar-caliber gamer with no tangible young chunk in the returns. Picks are nice, but they exist in abstraction. Philadelphia needed something real, and that something was James Wiseman in his sophomore year.
Wiseman probably has a bright future, but he underperformed during his rookie season before suffering structural damage to the MCL in his right knee, who incapacitated him for the stretch run. He might be great, but he isn’t and probably won’t realize soon enough the potential greatness he has in him to make for a win-now warriors team like Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson Expressly advised management that they want to pursue it.
Wiggins would only be included in the deal to get the money going, as he is owed more than $ 30 million per season each of the next two years and the Salaries for such trades must be pending to meet NBA standards.
Finally, two future first-round selections, the final element of Morey’s proposed deal, will not be very valuable assets for warriors if they intend to be in to go all-in for the next few years. The return of Thompson guarantees that Golden State is out of the lottery and competitive for the next few seasons. The addition of a player like Simmons to the roster, which the Warriors already have, has cemented the title fight for several years.
It is late first-round picks that Golden State is likely to collect over the next 3-5 years not worth haggling, especially as part of a legitimate attempt to return to the kind of greatness the Warriors won three championships in the NBA Finals for five straight years.
Bob Myers, President of Basketball Operations of the Golden State, may just play hardball and think he can cut Simmons’ price If so, he’s playing a dangerous game. Anyone with experience in the league will tell you that NBA All-Stars aren’t exactly growing in their early twenties.
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