I think being on a bad team with no expectations would be really good for Simmons mentally to get back on track. It takes that immense pressure off him of being a key cog in a championship caliber team for a few years.Any potential cap space for the next three years is for rent to take on picks anyway. So there is for sure an opportunity cost incurred by the Jazz for the cap they use, but if the part of the deal that is taking on Simmons is two unprotected picks then you try to assess if that was a good use of the space. But it’s not as though Simmons’ salary is a real expense due to the 90% cap rule.
And then there’s the possibility that this is kind of exactly what Simmons needed and it actually goes kinda well. But the above analysis should be the principle one as him actually playing basketball or being good should not be expected.