The Golden State Warriors have made their offseason philosophy plain: they’re willing to live with some injury risk if the talent is worth it. And that approach makes a potential Ben Simmons addition look a lot more plausible.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. laid it out on Tuesday when he said the front office had to weigh talent against availability while building the roster.
"Constructing (the roster) we had to make a decision between talent and availa bility," Dunleavy said. "There was no perfect solution in terms of the combination of the two.
We leaned a little bit more toward talent... We are taking on some risk there, but I think we value the talent over maybe finding guys that were perfectly healthy."
That’s not exactly a subtle message. Golden State has already leaned into that idea by bringing back Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, two veterans who combined to play just 77 games last season. The Warriors also re-signed De'Anthony Melton on a two-year, $12.4 million deal even though he has played only 93 games over the past three seasons and missed a long stretch while recovering from a torn ACL.
In that context, Simmons starts to make a lot more sense.
The former Philadelphia 76ers star is 30 and trying to get back into the league after appearing in just 108 games over the last five seasons. He’s no longer being viewed as the kind of player who can carry a team, but Golden State doesn’t need that. In a season where the Warriors are not really rebuilding and not truly in championship mode either, they could take a swing on a player with size, ball-handling and defense and see whether there’s enough left for him to carve out a role.
Simmons’ 6'10" frame and his reported return of athleticism could still fit a rotation in the neighborhood of 20 minutes a night. That’s the bet: not that he becomes the player he once was, but that he can provide enough of the traits that once made him a three-time All-Star and former Rookie of the Year.
The downside is obvious. Back injuries have taken a toll, and his confidence and athleticism have both eroded badly enough that he was out of the NBA last season.
Still, with Simmons looking for a minimum deal, Dunleavy’s comments make the Warriors’ direction clear. They’ve already shown they’re comfortable chasing upside.
Simmons would just be the boldest version of that idea.
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