Brooklyn Nets point forward Ben Simmons will be credited for the 2021-22 NBA season that he missed due to a holdout and injury.
The league's new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), released last month before free agency, contained a side letter saying that Ben Simmons has received credit for a year of service during the 2021-22 NBA season, according to an article by Zach Lowe on ESPN.
Simmons held out from the Philadelphia 76ers after a trade request during the 2021 offseason and was eventually dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in February 2022.
The three-time All-Star's situation is a standalone and is not intended to set a precedent for future cases. The 27-year-old will now have seven years of service under his belt in the 2023-24 season.
Several executives from other teams argued that Simmons should not be credited for the holdout year.
Years of service are factors when determining if players are eligible for maximum contracts of particular sizes and several other benefits.
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Nets GM believes Simmons' best days are ahead of him
Nets general manager Sean Marks thinks that Simmons has yet to hit his prime, and he hopes that the Australian will return to his All-Star level of play.
"I think knowing that he's mid-20s and he has still hopefully not reached his prime, we've gotta make sure he can get back out there and get back to that [All-Star] form," the 47-year-old executive said.
Marks added that health will be the key for Simmons to achieve this goal.
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