The Golden State Warriors had some level of interest in Ben Simmons this past offseason, but it's clear the three-time All-Star took some exception to the fact they didn't go harder after signing him as a free agent.
Based on a reported interaction between Simmons and Steve Kerr during a preseason game, the Warriors had some concerns over the 30-year-old's health. For as good as Simmons looked during preseason, unfortunately Kerr and the Warriors were proven right as the Australian suffered a brutal torn achilles injury just days out from the start of the regular season.
Ben Simmons injury unfortunately proves Steve Kerr and Warriors right
Simmons had signed a minimum contract with the Sacramento Kings, having sat out the entirety of the previous season to rest his body and mind, and to prepare for a bounce-back from had become a fading and disappointing career that once promised so much.
Simmons impressed with seven points in just nine minutes as a starter during his first preseason game against the Warriors, leading to a reported interaction between he and the Golden State head coach.
"I said something to Steve. I said, ‘Y’all didn’t want me?’ ... And [Kerr] said, ‘I didn’t know if you were healthy.’ And I was like, ‘OK. That’s why you have people that do their job and go fly out and see, Simmons said via ESPN's Marc J. Spears.
Simmons did look great -- he was moving much better than he had in previous years, and more importantly he was actually hunting his shot to the point of taking some ill-advised ones. But less than two weeks ago came the tragic news that Simmons had torn his achilles during a workout, putting him out for the season and raising question marks on whether we'll see him at the NBA level again.
Ben Simmons could still become a Warriors player in the future
Perhaps there's still a world in which the Warriors renew interest in the future. It's not hard to envision Simmons being an excellent fit in a Kerr system with his combination of size, ball-handling, playmaking and defensive versatility.
There would be undoubted spacing concerns, but at least during his preseason minutes, Simmons was eliminating the notion of being a complete non-scorer and was even venturing into mid-range jump-shots.
At the same time, Kerr and the Warriors -- as much as they didn't want to be right -- ultimately were in regards to Simmons' injury concerns. If they had these concerns before the torn achilles, perhaps this major injury wipes out any hope of seeing him in a Golden State jersey in the future.
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