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The Nets announced Thursday that Simmons will miss the remainder of the season while he consults with specialists and explores treatment options for the nerve impingement in his lower back.
Simmons had previously missed the Nets' final 24 games of the 2022-23 season as well as their first-round playoff series loss to the 76ers with nerve irritation in his back. He was declared healthy heading into the 2023-24 campaign, but after appearing in six of the Nets' first seven contests, he proceeded to miss the next 38 games with a left lower back impingement before he returned to action in late January. Simmons then saw action in nine games over about a month-long period, but he missed time with left leg soreness before the back injury cropped up again earlier this month. With Simmons having not responded to rest and rehab as well as the Nets had hoped, he'll now be shut down for the season while he looks toward a more permanent fix for the problem. Surgery or a procedure of some sort could certainly be in the cards for Simmons, potentially putting his long-term NBA outlook in question. He's now played just 57 games over the last three regular seasons, and he'll be entering the final season of a five-year, $177.24 million contract in 2024-25. Over his 15 appearances for Brooklyn this season, the 27-year-old averaged 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks in 23.9 minutes per game while shooting 58.1 percent from the field, but he didn't put up a three-point attempt and connected on just six of his 15 free-throw tries (40 percent).
