An early look at Orlando Magic 2017 Free Agency
Jonathon Simmons
After paying $150 to try out for the D-League, Jonathon Simmons found himself playing a key role for the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 Western Conference Finals. His story, skills and explosive performances have a lot of people riding the Simmons hype train.
And it is well deserved.
Players who come up through the Spurs’ system are known for their character and work ethic. Simmons seems to be cut from that same cloth.
He is a high-octane, disruptive defender. He is a solid shooter, and he is great at attacking the rim. Simmons can handle the ball on a bench unit, or he can play with starters off the ball. In transition, he is elite on both ends of the court.
For a second-year reserve forward who received little recognition entering this season, he has shown incredible promise.
It is important not to get carried away, though. He will be 28 next season. He probably does not have all that much upside – what we have seen is what we will get for the next couple years. And that is fine.
Simmons has proven he can offer valuable contributions to one of the best teams in the league. Teams will be lining up at his door during free agency, and rightfully so. But the perception that he is a young player or that his best years are ahead of him simply because he is new to the league might put suitors in dangerous territory.
A team like the Brooklyn Nets, with no first-round picks this year or next, and little hope in general, will probably offer him a big payday. Last year they offered Tyler Johnson four years and $50 million – far beyond what many would have expected his market value to be.
Simmons fits a similar bill as Johnson: a young(ish), exciting, hustle player whom the Nets could snatch up for a few years while they keep losing. They will not get anyone like that out of the draft (because they do not have picks) and they will not attract many marquee free agents. That cap space might as well go somewhere if they’re going to lose anyways.
The Nets’ bidding on mid and low-tier free agents has driven and will drive up the market value of Simmons and others of his ilk.
It is exciting to see this kind of performance from a second-year player, but it is important to remember he is almost 30 years old. He might not have as much upside as people think, and the Nets could make bidding for his services a risky proposition.
Because Simmons is a restricted free agent who has only been in the league for two years, he will be subject to the Gilbert Arenas provision. That means the first two seasons of an offer sheet made by a suitor cannot exceed the mid-level exception. But the third and fourth years can be heavily backloaded.
Essentially this means to sign Simmons, the Magic would get him for cheap for two seasons but might have to break the bank for his age 31 and 32 seasons, when his athleticism will begin to decline.
Money aside, his athleticism, attitude and variety of skills would make him a great fit for almost any team. The only catch is that signing him could end up being riskier than anticipated.