Ben Simmons has one strong tie to Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers let LeBron James walk away in free agency to pivot to the Luka Doncic era.

General manager Rob Pelinka has made some big moves this offseason, including re-signing Austin Reaves and trading for Walker Kessler. However, they should be far from done. And with their pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga potentially hitting a wall, they might pivot to Ben Simmons, a well-known Klutch Sports client aiming for an NBA comeback.

Simmons has reportedly drawn interest from a Western Conference team, which is why SB Nation's Jacob Rude believes JJ Redick's fondness for the former No. 1 pick might lead him to sunny California.

The Lakers might be interested in Ben Simmons

“Throughout their time with the Sixers, Redick was an ardent defender of Simmons, who faced plenty of scrutiny. In 2022, Simmons appeared on Redick’s podcast, “The Old Man & the Three,” in a pretty open interview about lots of things regarding his time with the Sixers. Having said all that, there are obvious complications here. As much as Redick and Simmons might have a relationship, that doesn’t make the latter a good basketball player anymore. Simmons became more and more a shell of his best self as his career wound down in Brooklyn and then with the Clippers,” Rude explained.

Of course, a lot has transpired since. Simmons was 26 years old back then, and he's barely played since. In fact, he didn't even suit up last season. Simmons has played 42, 15 and 51 games since that interview, and he hasn't averaged more than 7.0 points per game since his final year with the Philadelphia 76ers.

His inability and unwillingness to even attempt a shot made him an offensive liability, despite his well-documented playmaking skills and court vision. Also, his injury-proneness made it almost impossible to trust him with a long-term deal.

The talent was there, but there were reports about a poor work ethic and a lack of accountability and coachability. He's now considered one of the biggest busts in pro sports history. The Lakers want another two-way forward, and he has the size to help them in that regard. Whether he'll have the durability or floor spacing, however, remains to be seen.