Ben Simmons is like a giant lantern fly. Once he’s officially on your roster, he zaps the energy and life out of anything he’s associated with. It actually makes complete sense now that at one point LeBron James was his mentor. These are the list of star players the Nets can’t trade for because of the designated rookie rule:

The Designated Rookie rule via Sam Quinn at CBSSports.com:

The Designated Rookie rule allows teams to sign players coming off of rookie contracts to a five-year extension rather than the typical four. A team can designate up to two rookies for such contracts, but there’s a caveat: only one of them can be acquired by trade. Simmons, himself on a five-year deal signed with Philadelphia, already occupies one of those slots. Therefore, if the Nets keep Simmons, they cannot acquire another in a trade for Durant.

Kevin Durant’s wish list so far has been the Suns and Heat:

Too bad both deals have already collapsed because the Nets reportedly aren’t trading KD without getting Devin Booker and any Miami trade for Durant is going to be centered around Bam Adebayo and picks:

Pat Riley trying to sell the Nets on Tyler Herro is going to be hilarious after he won’t even let him start.

So what’re the options? The Nets could trade Simmons. The Nets could also use KD and one of these stars in a three team trade and acquire more assets. The worst option would be Ben Simmons fucks over the Sixers again when the Celtics give up Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams, and picks to build a dynasty for the next four years and we have to watch Boston raise another title banner:

P.S. What is Windhorst even saying here? I don’t want to speak ill of the guy who brought us to the Deal Zone, but it feels like he forgot his point halfway through his monologue: