Ben Simmons is on his way back to the NBA with the Kings, but the real intrigue in Sacramento is what his game still looks like in a new setting. The fit is about utility now, not star turns, and that’s where the discussion starts to get interesting.
Will Zimmerle of NBA on SI pointed to Darius Acuff Jr., Keegan Murray and coach Doug Christie as three people who could stand to gain from Simmons’ arrival. Acuff, the No. 7 overall pick, does not have to carry the full load as a playmaker right away. Simmons is still a quality passer when healthy, and he averaged 5.6 assists in just 22 minutes per game in 2024-25.
Murray could see the biggest boost on the defensive end. Simmons is not the same stopper he was in his All-NBA days, but at 6-foot-10 he still gives Christie another big, switchable body who can check multiple positions.
And for Christie, the value is simple: more options.
The shot is still the glaring issue with Simmons. But on a $3.5 million deal, Sacramento is not bringing him in to be an All-Star again. If he can defend, move the ball and make things easier for the Kings’ younger players, that may be enough.
In Memphis, Cameron Boozer is already being talked about like a player with a real shot to make noise before he’s even played an NBA game. ESPN tabbed the No. 3 overall pick as its preseason Rookie of the Year choice, putting him ahead of Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa.
Amir Motameni of NBA on SI sees opportunity as Boozer’s biggest edge. The Grizzlies are rebuilding, and that should mean a chance to hand him the ball early and often. Boozer can score, rebound and create for teammates, and Memphis is not bringing him in to spot up and watch.
That doesn’t make him the class’s best rookie by default. It just means he should have every chance to prove it. Rookie of the Year races often come down to opportunity as much as talent, and Boozer looks set to get plenty of both.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are looking for growth from familiar faces as they reshape the margins of the roster. Zach Weiss of NBA on SI named Sam Merrill, Evan Mobley and Tyrese Proctor as three players whose roles could shift.
Merrill could slide from regular starter to sixth man after starting 38 of his 52 games last season. Mobley is the bigger storyline. He took a career-high 13.2 field-goal attempts per game last season, and there’s a case that Cleveland will push that number even higher.
James Harden gives the Cavs one of the best passers of his generation, and Donovan Mitchell recently said he expects Mobley to make another major leap. With that kind of setup, 15 or 16 shots a night does not sound out of reach.
Proctor could also carve out more responsibility after flashing as a rookie and turning in a strong summer with Australia.
Cleveland reached the Eastern Conference finals last season, and another step forward may come from getting more out of the players already in the building.
In Other News...
Kawhi Leonard Twist Could Create A New Problem For The Cavs
The NBAs punishment of the Clippers and Steve Ballmer over the salary-cap circumvention tied to Kawhi Leonard has put another strange layer on one of the leagues lingering stars. Leonard has been ordered to repay $700,000, but he will not be suspended, his contract remains valid and he remains eligible to be traded, which keeps the situation very much alive as teams around the league watch how it plays out.
For the Cavaliers, the wrinkle is less about the fine print and more about the possibility of movement on a player whose name still shifts the market whenever it surfaces. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the pre-agreed trade sending Leonard to the Toronto Raptors is expected to go through, which would take one more big name off the board and leave Cleveland to keep sorting through a landscape that may have just gotten a little more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Just Got A Reminder Of Their James Harden Problem
The Cavaliers have already shown they can be opportunistic in reshaping the roster, moving Dennis Schroder to the Charlotte Hornets without surrendering draft picks and using both his value and his connections to help get the deal done. That kind of flexibility matters, because Cleveland also has a much bigger long-term question sitting on its books now in James Harden, whose new contract runs deep into his late 30s.
For a team trying to stay competitive for years to come, the issue is not Hardens presence today so much as what his deal could mean later. The Cavs may eventually need to find a trade partner willing to take on that contract, and while there is no immediate urgency, the clock is already part of the equation whenever a contender commits to a veteran star on a long horizon. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers May Finally Have The Roster To Erase Last Year's Pain
The Cavaliers spent the summer reshaping a roster that already had enough talent to matter, then added another layer of intrigue with Peyton Watson joining a group built around All-Star guards James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. The result is a team that suddenly looks deeper and more balanced than the one that stumbled out of the postseason last spring, with bench pieces giving Cleveland more ways to survive the grind of an 82-game season and still keep enough juice for April.
For a team still carrying the sting of last years playoff loss, the question is no longer whether the Cavaliers have talent. It is whether this version of the roster can translate that talent into the kind of postseason run that finally pushes them past the point where one bad series defines the year. The pieces are there, the motivation is obvious, and now Cleveland has to show it can use both. [Read more 🡒]