From 40 million to the minimum salary! The Celtics let it go? Simmons, please stop being unscrupulous.

The most popular players in the free market seem to have three left. The first Kumingga, who had been in a stalemate with the Warriors for a long time, gave Kumingga a prize - DPOY (Best Defensive Player) this summer offseason. Why do you say so? It is precisely because Kumingga has not made a decision that the Warriors' lineup has been locked. Until now, the Warriors have not completed the first offseason reinforcement. At the same time, Kumingga has also delayed the occurrence of other operations in the league. It can be said that Kuminga defended the entire Warriors team in the offseason! The second one is Westbrook. Of course, Westbrook's next company is basically confirmed, which is the King, but the King's current salary space seems to be a bit insufficient. Before signing Westbrook, they need to execute a transaction, with Monk or Carter as the main body.

The third one is Simmons. It's strange that Simmons' data in recent years can be described as a terrible thing. His attitude towards the game is not positive enough and his injury risks are also high. Last season, he joined the Clippers and averaged only 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, but his annual salary is as high as US$40 million, ranking among the top 30 in the league. Despite this, after Simmons became a free agent this summer, many teams are still interested in him, including the Suns, Knicks, Kings and other teams. Reporter Ary said that since the free market started, 4-6 teams have shown strong interest in Simmons, and several teams have conducted preliminary tentative conversations, but these conversations have not entered the substantive stage.

Now, Simmons's destination is about to end. Reporter Ary updated social media: "According to league sources, Ben Simmons, one of the hottest free agents in the free market, is expected to sign with the Celtics. During this period, the Celtics have been actively pursuing Simmons."

Let's talk about one question first, why has Ben Simmons, who has performed poorly in recent years and gradually fell out of the league's regular rotation, still gained the favor of so many teams? First of all, this is due to Simmons' special attributes. His abilities are indeed comprehensive, with first-hand organization and defense. If he is a defender, he has a great advantage in height and size, which is actually enough. What many NBA teams want the least is the kind of players who only know how to score, have a "cancer" style of playing, gorgeous data but have little contribution to the team, but are interested in polygonal warriors like Simmons. Secondly, Simmons is also the No. 1 pick after all, and his talent is still top-notch. Everyone wants to scrape the lottery and look forward to when Simmons will be able to return to his future. After all, he is now 29 years old, and for athletes, he happens to be at his peak.

Of course, it is also a fact that Simmons's condition has declined. Although he will not fall to the point where he has no ball to play, his value plummet is inevitable. Simmons' last serious contract was renewed for 170 million yuan in 2019. After being bought out by the Nets this year, he signed a basic salary contract with the Clippers, and his next contract is probably also a basic salary. The Celtics' main job now is to clear the salary space to avoid taxes, and they can only provide Simmons with a basic salary contract. The Celtics' basic salary is to give it a try. While rebuilding their core lineup, they do not want to completely play out next season and try to maintain their competitiveness in the playoffs. Therefore, they will make up for the team's shortcomings by introducing Simmons and scrape this lottery. After sending Holiday away, the Celtics happened to need a starting point guard. Although Simmons did not have the ability to make three-pointers, his teammates were not bad on the outside. Last season, the Celtics were the team with the most three-point output in the league. In such an environment, it is actually very suitable for Simmons. His defensive conversion will help the Celtics. In addition, the frontcourt lost Horford and Tatum was also reimbursed for the season, and Simmons will be a good addition to the team in terms of height.

So, is Simmons still possible to return to the top? Regarding his turning point, it actually goes back to the 76ers era. In the 21-year playoffs, his performance was a disaster-level, with a free throw shooting percentage of 34% in history, and his psychological shadow was hit. From then on, he was shrouded in this shadow and did not dare to take action during the game. In addition, he was still troubled by back injuries in the next two years. The double blow of physical and psychological caused Simmons to fall from the altar quickly and become a popular person. Before joining the Clippers this year, Simmons said that he wanted to break his curse and play for the Clippers for more than 20 games. Simmons actually played well in the first few games, but old problems began to appear later. He seemed to be distracted in the game and his enthusiasm became worse and worse, which also led to his data being quite dismal.

To be honest, the biggest problem with Simmons now is still in his mentality. As long as he dares to play, he has the chance to return to the top. The key is whether his team has the ability to train him and help him regain his confidence. After Simmons officially joins the Celtics, are you still optimistic about his prospects?