Could the Dallas Mavericks trade for Ben Simmons? Will they?

Will the Dallas Mavericks trade for Ben Simmons this offseason?

In a normal set of circumstances, the answer would be no. Dallas does not have the asset to acquire a three-time All-Star and one of the best defenders in the NBA. Look at the haul the Jazz just landed for Rudy Gobert, but things are different here.

Simmons has not played in more than one year, and there is no guarantee that he is an All-NBA caliber player when he returns to the court. The Mavs bought low on a young All-Star, who had missed more than one year of action back in 2019. Dealing for Kristaps Porzingis did not work out, but this is a new front office. Simmons is a Nike guy that is not coming off a significant knee injury.

There is a non-zero chance the Mavericks acquire Ben Simmons this summer. They are more likely to land Simmons than Kevin Durant. What are the odds? Two percent seems right. There is no guarantee the Nets trade the 25-year-old. The odds of Simmons switching teams is about 40 percent. The Mavs outbidding the other 28 teams in the league for Simmons lowers their odds of acquiring him to about two percent.

The Brooklyn Nets are at the center of the NBA until they decide on what to do with Kevin Durant. The trade or lack thereof will have massive ripple effects across the league and could result in something wild like the Dallas Mavericks landing Ben Simmons. After all the drama and player movement in Brooklyn since Durant’s arrival, all fans can do is wait and watch to see how this plays out.