It's been quite the summer for former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers and the Philadelphia 76ers, having swung a blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown before snatching LeBron James in a stunning free agency move on Friday.
But that's not all the 76ers have done this offseason. Not only did they burn the Warriors in the race for James' signature, but they earlier acquired Anfernee Simons on a team-friendly contract after interest from Golden State and the Miami Heat.
76ers burned Warriors twice by signing LeBron and Anfernee Simons
There's an irony to the timing of these free agency outcomes that proves just how much Golden State have been left in the cold as a result of James' decision, and the brutal outcome facing them in free agency.
Simons signed a two-year, $12.3 million deal with Philadelphia back on July 2, with many quickly identifying it as a team-friendly one given the 27-year-old is just coming off a four-year, $100 million contract.
The Warriors could have potentially offered Simons a bigger contract and a bigger role, but wanted to retain their flexibility for James and presumably thought the 41-year-old would want at least the taxpayer mid-level exception, if not the full non-taxpayer MLE.
But three weeks later and James signed with the 76ers for the minimum, leaving Golden State in the dark and in a dry free agency market where alternatives like Simons are well and truly off the board. Philadelphia ended up with both players, and Golden State got neither despite being able to offer more from a financial perspective.
Anfernee Simons may regret 76ers move after LeBron James signing
It would be interesting to know what Simons thinks of this entire situation. If it's purely about trying to win a championship next season, he'd undoubtedly be thrilled by his new team adding James to their vacant power forward spot.
But if Simons is also interested in showcasing his value and earning another big contract, this isn't really the situation for that. Simons will enter next season as the sixth offensive option at best on a healthy Philadelphia team, which is honestly crazy to think about given he's averaged nearly 19 points and 4.1 assists over the past five seasons.
With Jimmy Butler sidelined for the first part of next season, Simons could have easily been the third or even second-leading scorer for Golden State. Yet the Warriors reportedly only offered a minimum contract given their James pursuit, something that now looks like a major mistake with the benefit of hindsight.
Add us as a preferred source on Google