Sports reporter Jo Healy has expressed her concerns for Australian basketballer Ben Simmons after a number of blockbuster trades that have rocked the NBA.
The Brooklyn Nets have traded superstar duo Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks respectively which has left the once feared Nets in a state of rebuild.
Healy says that Simmons is now at a crossroads and the remainder of the season will determine the rest of his NBA career.
“(Simmons) is in limbo,” Healy said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“It’s been crazy with the (NBA) trade deadline. I’ve been on my phone getting these Woj (Basketball reporter Adrian Wojnarowski) bombs constantly.
“There was a point where Kyrie left and (the Nets) were probably not in a bad place.
“KD (Durant) is huge for them. It’s going to take the Nets quite a while to regroup and regather.
“I hope for Ben’s sake that it means more opportunity and he really just needs to find himself in a palace where he is supported and be right mentally.
“We just want to see him playing and whether it’s on a winning team or not, it doesn’t really matter for the rest of the season.
“It’s just about him playing and moving forward.”
Meanwhile, the NBL playoffs started on Thursday night with the Perth Wildcats and Tasmania JackJumpers both recording impressive wins.
Healy argued that the Wildcats are the in-form team in the competition and if they were to defeat the Cairns Taipans on Sunday, it would set up a blockbuster semi-finals series with the Sydney Kings.
“The league couldn’t have asked for a better year,” Healy added.
“The Wildcats are on a bit of a roll (but the Kings) will be really hard to stop in a series.
“(Sydney) has so much depth and the guys coming off the bench have got quite a lot of experience and it has shown a lot of times this season.
“I’m definitely expecting the Kings to be (in the finals).
“It’s been a super exciting season.”
The winner of the Wildcats and Taipans clash will take on the Kings on February 1 whilst the JackJumpers begin their best-of-three series against the New Zealand Breakers on February 16.