Last offseason, the Knicks acquired former Phoenix Suns and Nets star Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster deal sending five first-round picks across the bridge to Brooklyn.

A year later, the Knicks are double-dipping into the other side of the Hudson River: New York has reportedly been keeping tabs on former Nets and Philadelphia 76ers playmaker Ben Simmons. Simmons won Rookie of the Year in 2018, earned All-Star honors in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and ranked top-20 in both assists and steals in each of his first four full NBA seasons.

And then came the back injuries, the training camp hold-out, and more back injuries culminating in the slashing of half of his attempted field goal attempts per game.

Simmons has not averaged more than 5.6 shot attempts per game since his final year in Philadelphia. He averaged 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists through 33 games with the Nets last season, agreed to a contract buyout, then joined the Los Angeles Clippers, where he averaged an additional 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 18 games off the bench.

Yet he’s on the Knicks’ radar for their final veteran’s minimum slot on a roster angling to compete for a championship next season. There’s a case to be made both for and against Simmons in orange and blue.

WHY SIMMONS IS A GOOD FIT

Simmons didn’t ask to be traded to the Nets — he asked to leave his situation in Philadelphia. He didn’t ask to play alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. And he certainly didn’t ask to join a championship contender desperate for his production while nursing a back injury. The failure of the Simmons-era Nets falls little on Simmons’ shoulders and more on the brain trust responsible for assembling the cast.

This is different. If Simmons were to join the Knicks, there wouldn’t be many teammates shouting “shoot it, Ben!” at Madison Square Garden.

Simmons wouldn’t be the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh scoring option on a Knicks team now stacked with talent in its starting five and off the bench. The Knicks would merely need him to defend at a high level, crash the glass, push the pace and make plays for the teammates who have their eyes on the bottom of the net — and bonus points if he doesn’t go viral for fashion every other day, because going viral for being in street clothes would mean another unhealthy season from a player of Simmons’ caliber.

As of last season, the Knicks don’t do unhealthy players. They were the healthiest team in basketball courtesy of Casey Smith, New York’s VP of Sports Medicine who left the Dallas Mavericks and kept a previously oft-injured Knicks team on the court last season. Under Smith’s lead, Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery), Landry Shamet (shoulder), Precious Achiuwa (hamstring), Karl-Anthony Towns (recurring knee) and Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) all made successful injury recoveries, and OG Anunoby played in 74 games for the first time since his rookie year.

In joining the Knicks, Simmons could kill multiple birds with one stone: He could find a new basketball home on a team that doesn’t need him to be a focal point, for an organization with a top-flight medical staff — in the biggest media market on the planet. Oh, and he could help a team fresh off of a conference finals appearance get to the NBA Finals. Not bad at all.

WHY SIMMONS MIGHT NOT BE A GOOD FIT

The Nets could never find a way to get their offense humming in minutes. Simmons shared the floor with Nic Claxton — because the NBA is long past the years where two non-shooters can share the floor for long stretches at a time. The Knicks have their own supercharged version of Claxton: Mitchell Robinson, who only does his scoring in and around the restricted area. Simmons-Robinson minutes would project as stifling defensively but leave the Knicks struggling outside of transition to generate clean offense. Back injuries are also fickle: players feel good one day and are out two-to-three weeks the next. Simmons’ game is predicated on explosiveness and athleticism. His offensive attack has already been slashed in half due to the first flurry of injuries.

And then there’s the pressure, and make no mistake: the scrutiny Simmons faced in Brooklyn pales in comparison to what could be waiting should things go awry at Madison Square Garden. If Simmons thought the pressure in Philadelphia was something, this is the closest the Knicks and their fan base have been to a title in more than a half-century. Simmons cited mental health issues as his reasoning for holding out in Philadelphia.

New Knicks head coach Mike Brown doesn’t shy away from the pressure, either. Brown notably told his star players they needed to be better behind closed doors in Sacramento, then reiterated the same message to the media shortly after.

Should the Knicks sign Ben Simmons?

Simmons has options. He has reportedly been contacted by or has drawn interest from the Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings. If Simmons is willing to join the Knicks on a minimum contract, he’d be the kind of low-risk, high-reward gamble the front office could make. If things go left, he’s on a veteran’s minimum and can be traded elsewhere with little hassle. And if things were to go right — if Simmons were to revert back to some semblance of the player who once drew comparisons to LeBron James— he could be the finishing piece to help put the Knicks over the hump not just in the Eastern Conference but in all of basketball in New York’s pursuit of a championship.