I’m sure we’re all exhausted with the Ben Simmons shit by now, but this too funny not to share.

Behold, a mailbag article nugget from The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner:

If (Donovan) Mitchell or (Rudy) Gobert became available, I’d say the latter is the likelier option for the Hawks to land. There’s just been too much buzz in league circles with Mitchell to the Knicks if he were to come available. With Gobert, both Charlotte and Atlanta would make sense as a possible destination. A package of Hunter, Clint Capela and Jalen Johnson plus picks could work salary-wise for Gobert, or if the Jazz would rather want the long-term cap space, Danilo Gallinari could replace Capela.

I’d also keep an eye on (Ben) Simmons, too. Several people inside the Hawks’ organization wanted Simmons at the trade deadline. The price might not be as high to land him now, especially if Brooklyn decides to move on before he plays one game for the Nets.

This is the type of quote that’s going to be blasted out on social media without much context. This writer is spit balling on a possible Ben Simmons trade based on Atlanta interest prior to the James Harden swap. He’s not actually saying that Ben is on the trade block, but wouldn’t it be comical if the Nets moved on from Ben before he played a single game? He just got the back surgery, and will rehab during the spring and summer, but you have the unresolved mental stuff and who knows whether he wants to be in New York anyway. They could be fed up with his shit already. Who knows?

The prospect of Ben Simmons trade rumors coming back around is incredible. We should set odds on where he starts the 2022-2023 season. Throw Atlanta in there at +225 and sprinkle some cash on it. Nets -110. Los Angeles Lakers gotta be in the mix as well. Klutch is probably trying to get Ben to the west coast as we speak.