Denver Nuggets: Is a Ben Simmons for Jamal Murray trade insulting?

Following a rumor that the Denver Nuggets are considered sleepers at trading for Ben Simmons, a trade that would almost have to include Jamal Murray, one anonymous source close to the team wasn’t sure if it was more insulting to Murray or the front office.

The report comes from Matt Moore of the Action Network. He added that sources on both the Denver and Philadelphia 76ers side had not held trade talks.

The initial report, coming from Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, was added in as a reply to an initial tweet and doesn’t reference a concrete source, suggesting it was just speculation.

While the response from an anonymous member of the Denver Nuggets is positive both in terms of sticking with Jamal and keeping the current core together, is it really that insulting to offer Ben Simmons, a three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive player, for Jamal Murray?

Short answer: kind of.

Long answer, while both players are technically guards, it’s hardly a like-for-like fit here. Following the initial rumor, I wrote about how Murray is quite possibly the perfect point guard to have playing next to Nikola Jokic. Ben Simmons would be an icky fit at best.

If you’re the biggest Simmons fan in the world and would love to see him next to Jokic, there would already be trepidation towards their fit after he flamed out the way he did next to a similar player in Joel Embiid.

The two were a positive fit in the regular season for the 76ers but there’s a long list of playoff issues, cramped spacing, and your turn-my turn basketball that is not needed in Colorado.

Simmons would add another long, defensive wing-forward hybrid next to Aaron Gordon, another player who can make up for Jokic’s lack of elite rim-protecting, but is it necessary? If Simmons and Gordon take the two bigger wings on defense, would that relegate Michael Porter Jr. to the tallest guard? Another issue.

It’s not insulting to offer an All-Star for a player in Jamal who will almost definitely grow into an All-Star one day, but the questions of fit are insulting.

Jamal Murray starts at point guard but his lack of playmaking abilities is complimented by Nikola’s. Oh, and he can shoot the ball from anywhere within the half court, Simmons wasn’t sure if it was right to shoot halfway in the layup motion.

Murray can be the orchestrator of a pick-and-roll, he can spread the floor out while others are in the pick-and-roll, or he can mix the two and re-locate behind the arc after passing to a rolling Jokic.

If you try and substitute Ben Simmons into of those scenarios, you’re left with either the ball-handler or screener finishing at the rim. Yes, Simmons creates plenty of threes for his teammates with his passing but the 76ers shooting is better than Denver’s.

Additionally, Simmons is best when the ball is in his hands. What does that mean for Will Barton, Monte Morris, or even Bones Hyland, three players who are best when making decisions with the ball and that’s before factoring in the amount of touches Jokic should be getting.

When Jokic has the ball, there’s the threat that he could take on his man and score before dishing it off. Simmons doesn’t put the same pressure on the defense and would be playing a similar role.

In a traditional sense, offering a 25-year-old All-Star in Simmons for a 24-year-old 20-point scorer isn’t insulting, it seems quite fair.

In reality, it is insulting. If the Denver Nuggets do nothing for the next two seasons, they’ll be title contenders and boast one of the youngest and most talented cores in the entire league. Moving on from the team’s second-best player to bring in an unnatural fit is a non-starter.

The anonymous Denver Nuggets source said they weren’t sure whether it was more insulting to Jamal or the front office. If Jamal is insulted, he can take solace in the fact that he turns up in the playoffs.