Warriors can still beat Kings to Ben Simmons after latest free agency moves

The signings of Brandon Williams and Georges Niang appeared to finalize the Golden State Warriors roster on Tuesday, including any thought of a gamble on former Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.

Yet the revelation of Williams' non-guaranteed contract means the Warriors still have a path to signing Simmons, bringing him to training camp, and seeing if he can do enough to earn a roster spot over their newest guard.

Warriors still have path to controversial Ben Simmons move

Simmons reportedly had a fantastic private workout for the Sacramento Kings this week, only adding validity to the idea that it was they who've offered a training camp contract to the former number one overall pick.

But the Warriors can still beat their pacific rival to a Simmons move, albeit the Kings undoubtedly hold the upper hand given their confirmed interest in him and the fact they still have two open roster spots available.

Williams' non-guarateed contract allows Golden State to potentially waive him before the start of the season without taking a cap hit. That gives the front office the opportunity to sign Simmons or any other remaining free agent to a similar contract, then use training camp and preseason to determine which direction to go in before opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 21.

It's unlikely the Warriors go down the Simmons path, particularly given the availability issues that already exist on a roster that will start without Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, and which will carry six players 33 years of age or older, including the recently signed Niang.

Ben Simmons might still make more sense than Brandon Williams

Golden State's interest in Williams clearly stems from his scoring and ability to make plays off the dribble, having averaged a career-high 13 points with the Dallas Mavericks last season. Simmons is a completely different type of player, but you'd argue he could still be more helpful on an eventually healthy Warrior team.

Simmons wouldn't bring the scoring, but his ball-handling, playmaking, size and defense would make him move viable in a variety of different lineups, as opposed to Williams who is an undersized 6'1" guard who shot only 23% from 3-point range last season.

It seems unlikely that the Warriors will be the team to take a risk on Simmons, and it says a lot when it's the lowly Kings who appear the most interested. However, given where both teams are at in the Western Conference, Golden State shouldn't be completely ruling themselves out from looking at the three-time All-Star.

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