Maligned free agent could be steal for Spurs at an affordable price

I know, I know, everyone hates Ben Simmons. Any time he's mentioned in basketball conversations, nothing but slander follows his name. He brought a lot of it on himself due to the way he folded in the playoffs when he was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. The way he conducted himself after that didn't help either.

From the outside, it looked like he quit on his team, but in reality, he suffered monumental pressure that overwhelmed him. Philly is a rough place to play professional sports. They really make you feel their anger when you don't put your best foot forward in the biggest moments. But that was a long time ago, and the San Antonio Spurs could be a safe haven for him to truly revive his once-promising career.

Ben Simmons would be a cheap experiment for the Spurs

At this point in the offseason, he should be willing to take the veteran minimum. He only made $1 million last year with the Clippers, so he's in no position to barter for more. You don't have to allocate a lot of minutes to him right now, either, but he'd be an added piece of depth that has size, can run the floor, and passes the ball extremely well.

Don't forget the hype when he entered the NBA. Some touted him as a LeBron James-esque player because of his height, athleticism, and passing ability. Obviously, we know that he's nowhere near King James, but that's not the point. He still has several traits that a team that doesn't truly need him could use in a pinch in case of an emergency.

Simmons won't be a player who averages a bunch of points, but he'll keep the offense flowing and defend at a high level. San Antonio would be the perfect place for him to get out of the spotlight. He needs to be surrounded by an organization with the best intentions for its players. One that knows how to shield their guys from too much scrutiny.

If it doesn't work, it wouldn't have cost very much of anything. There's only one roster spot left anyway. Who knows what they'll do with it, if they do anything at all, but going after Ben is a reasonable option with the potential for a big payoff.

There would never be a time when he gets inserted into the starting unit this season unless several people suffer from injury. He'd strictly be a bottom-of-the-bench player who could come in at the end of games or play sparingly when San Antonio's defense struggles. He was very dynamic once. Maybe he could recapture that magic in the 210.