Ben Simmons is officially back.
The former No. 1 overall pick Simmons agreed on Friday to sign with the Sacramento Kings as a free agent. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Simmons will be getting a one-year, $3.5 million from Sacramento (representing the veteran’s minimum).
Shortly thereafter, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Simmons also had interest from two other prominent NBA teams but ultimately decided on the Kings. Those two teams were the Golden State Warriors and the defending champion New York Knicks.
Simmons, who is making his comeback after sitting out of the 2025-26 NBA season, obviously would have had a much better chance of competing with either of those two teams (albeit in a reduced role). But instead, Simmons is going with the opportunity where he will presumably be able to get the heaviest minutes and heading to the Kings, who went just 22-60 last season.
Now 30 years old, Simmons is a three-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-Defensive selection, and a one-time All-NBA honoree. He last played in the league during the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game combined between the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Clippers.
In recent days, we heard that Simmons had been drawing rave reviews with his workouts in front of NBA figures. While Simmons himself had initially been hoping for a shot with one of two top Eastern Conference teams, he will now be looking to see what kind of numbers he can put up next season on a rebuilding, low-talent Kings squad.
