Ben Simmons is done for the year once again, as he will continue to search for answers to the nerve impingement in his lower back that has limited him to just 57 games since being traded to the Nets.
Simmons is due to make $40.3 million next season, as he finishes up his five-year, $177 million deal that he signed with the 76ers before being dealt to Brooklyn.
For Boomer, it is another high-paid player that couldn’t stay healthy for the Nets, putting the team in exclusive company.
“I don’t think there is a team in professional sports history - well, maybe now the Broncos are on this list - that are gonna end up paying guys more than the Nets,” Boomer said, as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving also were paid top dollar and missed significant time due to injuries, suspensions, or holdouts as a result of COVID-19 vaccination requirements in New York City.
Boomer isn’t blaming Simmons for that, as he understands being a professional athlete that wants to play, but the body doesn’t cooperate.
“There’s nothing you can do about injuries,” Boomer said. “I feel bad for Ben Simmons. You want to play, you want to be out there, but if you can’t be yourself, you can’t be yourself. That’s all there is to it.”
As for his declaration about the Nets, Gio countered with another New York team that is currently paying millions for players to pitch elsewhere after last year’s fire sale at the trade deadline.
“I don’t know,” Gio said. “Steve Cohen is trying to catch up.”