Ben Simmons is returning to the NBA. The three-time All-Star has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings, ending a full year away from the league and closing the book on speculation about a reunion with his original team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Deal
Simmons’s agents — Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe, and Ryan Arney — confirmed the agreement to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday, September 4. Before the deal came together, Simmons traveled to Sacramento for an in-depth medical evaluation, an on-court workout, and meetings with Kings head coach Doug Christie and members of the front office. Kings general manager Scott Perry reportedly first grew interested after seeing Simmons work out in Florida earlier in the offseason, and the team also considered other veteran point guard options, including Cameron Payne and Victor Oladipo, before settling on Simmons.
The New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors were also said to have interest, but Simmons ultimately chose Sacramento — his fourth NBA stop.
A Long Road Back
Simmons, 30, hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2024–25 season, when he appeared in 51 games with the LA Clippers after a midseason buyout from the Brooklyn Nets. He sat out the entire 2025–26 season while rehabbing lingering back and leg injuries, a decision that was widely viewed as a full physical reset rather than a step toward retirement.
It’s been a winding path since Simmons entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of LSU. He won Rookie of the Year, made three All-Star teams, earned an All-NBA selection, and was twice named to the All-Defensive First Team during his prime years in Philadelphia. But back problems and well-documented mental health struggles derailed that trajectory — most notably his refusal to play at all during the 2021–22 season — and he was eventually dealt to Brooklyn in the James Harden trade. Two and a half injury-hampered seasons with the Nets ended in a buyout, followed by a brief, similarly injury-riddled run with the Clippers.
This offseason, Simmons made his intentions to return clear. He traveled to Melbourne to join the Australian men’s national team’s player-led minicamp — his first appearance with the program since he was a teenager in 2013 — and worked out for multiple teams before impressing Christie enough to earn Sacramento’s offer.
Why the Kings
The move addresses a real need. Sacramento used the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft on Darius Acuff Jr., who’s projected to open the season as the starting point guard, but the depth behind him was thin — especially after longtime stopgap Russell Westbrook announced his retirement this offseason despite reported interest from both the Kings and the Washington Wizards. It’s also a familiar pattern for Sacramento: last year, the team similarly waited deep into the offseason before signing a veteran, addressing its point guard rotation with Westbrook right before training camp.
Simmons isn’t a traditional point guard, and his lack of a jump shot remains the defining flaw of his game — he’s never developed a reliable three-point attempt and has taken a shrinking share of his shots as his career has progressed. But at 6-foot-10 with a 7.2 assists-per-game career average, elite court vision, and a track record as an All-Defensive-caliber wing, he brings a rare physical and playmaking profile off the bench. Reports suggest he may not be an ideal on-court mentor for Acuff stylistically, but his passing could still accelerate the rookie’s development.
What’s Next
The deal is low-risk and low-cost for Sacramento, and it gives Simmons a fresh runway to prove his body can hold up. If he stays healthy and productive, it could set up a bigger payday next summer; if the injuries resurface, it will simply extend a now-familiar narrative. Either way, Simmons’s return guarantees his name stays in the headlines through training camp and into the 2026–27 season, with an emotional first matchup against his former team in Philadelphia likely to draw plenty of attention along the way.
Leave a Reply