With Adrian Wojnarowski no longer confirming or denying trade rumors, fans are already more vulnerable to trolls and fake news. A parody account took advantage of the vacuum in NBA media by tweeting about a Ben Simmons to Golden State trade.
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The profile named ‘Aaron Rosenberg’ even touched up the announcement image to resemble an authentic ESPN confirmation. “BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets are trading Ben Simmons to the Golden State Warriors, sources tell ESPN,” the post wrote.
BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets are trading Ben Simmons to the Golden State Warriors, sources tell ESPN, pic.twitter.com/l7u5psrm2r
— Aaron Rosenberg (@aaronespn) September 18, 2024
It quickly picked up steam, becoming a topic of discussion online. But now it has been confirmed that the information was false and that the Nets are not dealing Simmons to the Dubs.
The misinformation coming this quickly after Woj’s retirement certainly proves the value he brought to the NBA community. Amidst a constantly churning rumor mill, Woj bombs were the fans’ litmus test for truth. The fan running this fake account was well aware of that, as they previously posted how they would try to fill Adrian Wojnarowski’s shoes.
“After years of excellence, Adrian Wojnarowski has officially retired from ESPN. I’m Aaron Rosenberg and I’m honored to take over his role,” the tweet stated.
In conjunction with the blue tick next to the account, fans were led to believe that they were listening to a credible source. Another reason why the misinformation caught on was because Simmons has previously been linked to the Warriors.
Why would Golden State trade for Ben Simmons?
It’s not very harsh to suggest that the market for Simmons has shriveled with every passing year. As such, Dubs fans might wonder why their franchise would look to land the Australian forward.
You see, players like LeBron James, Rudy Gobert, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle could be free agents in 2025. However, the Warriors have no chance of signing such talent with their current salary sheet.
This is partly due to Andrew Wiggins’ 4-year $109 million contract that he’s now entering the second year of. Ben Simmons is among the players who will enter 2025 FA, so even if his contract is worse for one season, landing him could allow the Warriors greater flexibility next off-season.
If the team is struggling at the mid-way point of the 2024-25 season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them dump Wiggins’ salary for a 1-year player like Ben Simmons. Very few have pegged Stephen Curry & Co. as legitimate contenders this season.
The Warriors are relying on young players like Jonathan Kuminga and Brandon Podziemski reaching their primes sooner so they can perform as second and third options for the team. Instead, if the Dubs could land a proven and reliable second option, that would allow their younger players to develop naturally without squandering the last few years of Stephen Curry’s career.
