Both the Lakers and the Nets were considered to have the best competitive strength before this season, but at present, the Lakers have missed the playoffs, and the Nets have also lost to the Celtics in the first game of the first round of the series, of course, the Nets will still have the possibility of success in this year's playoffs.
But if the Nets ultimately fail, will they put Ben Simmons on the shelves this offseason? James Pearsey talked about this possibility in an article, and even suggested that the Lakers and The Nets push for a blockbuster deal involving Anthony Davis and Ben Simmons this offseason:
The Lakers got: Ben Simmons, Joe Harris
Nets: Anthony Davis, Stanley Johnson, Tarren Horton Tucker, 2027 first-round picks (lotto protection)
Whether the Lakers pushed for a deal involving Ben Simmons or on the case of Anthony Davis, a deal that doesn't seem likely to be pushed at all. You know, the biggest reason for the Lakers' failure this season is that Wei Shao, who does not have the ability to shoot outside and still needs to occupy the ball, cannot partner James well, and Ben Simmons does not seem to bring a particularly big improvement to the Lakers in addition to being better defensive than Wei Shao.
Because of this, in the case of davis still need to be sent, the Lakers simply do not have the need to push for this level of trade.
In contrast, such a deal would have more obvious benefits for the Nets. The addition of Anthony Davis will allow the Nets to have a big three lineup of Durant, Irving and Davis, which can make the Nets the best competitive team. If Davis can stay healthy, this Nets are almost invincible.
Of course, it's unlikely that such a deal will be promoted between the two teams, at least from the Lakers' point of view, they have no reason to do it at all.