Anfernee Simons faces potential regret over his decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, having rushed into a decision to reject interest from the Golden State Warriors.
Simons signed early in free agency rather than waiting for LeBron James' decision, with the 41-year-old's move to the 76ers further pushing the scoring guard back in a stacked Philadelphia rotation.
Anfernee Simons faces regret over signing with 76ers over Warriors
According to Bonta Hill of NBC Sports Bay Area earlier this week, Simons said no to Golden State in favor of taking up a two-year, $12.3 million deal with Philadelphia.
“Simons said no to the Warriors. Simons was like, 'I'd rather go to Philadelphia'," Hill said on the Dubs Talk podcast. "And who can be mad at players using other destinations when you look at this roster being older on paper?”
Simons may be comfortable with his decision knowing he's now on a legitimate championship contender, rather than on a middling Warrior team who might struggle to even make the Play-In Tournament if they can't get some health luck.
However, future value and another big contract would surely be a priority for someone like Simons in the middle of their career, and there's no doubt his path back to being a $15-20+ million per year player would have been far easier with Golden State than it will now be in Philly.
With James and Jaylen Brown heading to the 76ers, Simons is going to be the sixth offensive option at best in a healthy rotation. That's a wild embarrassment of riches given he's averaged nearly 19 points per game over the last five seasons.
Anfernee Simons would have been given much bigger role with Warriors
Had Simons waited for James' decision and not rushed into rejecting the Warriors, perhaps he would have taken up an offer to play in the Bay with the knowledge of having a far more significant role entering next season.
With Jimmy Butler sidelined by a torn ACL, Simons could have easily been Golden State's third offensive option behind a 38-year-old Stephen Curry and injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis. The Warriors would have badly needed his scoring, giving Simons an obvious pathway back to being the 20-point scorer he was in Portland for two-straight seasons.
Now Simons feels like a luxury on the 76ers, and someone they'll only truly lean on when veterans like James and Joel Embiid are out injured or resting. Even then, Simons will be behind Tyrese Maxey, Brown and V.J. Edgecombe in the pecking order. If this move was about rebuilding his value for another big contract, there's little doubt Simons has made the wrong decision.
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