Ben Simmons is heading back into the NBA, just not to the place that had been linked to him in recent months. On Friday, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the 30-year-old is signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Kings.
That leaves the Knicks still staring at the same problem that made Simmons a shaky fit in the first place: they need another center. New York had interest in Simmons last offseason and even put a one-year offer in front of him, but Marc Stein reported for The Stein Line that he passed on it because he wanted time to rehab his back and get his mind and body right.
The Knicks were back in the mix this summer, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, along with Golden State. But the math never really lined up cleanly. New York has only one veteran’s minimum contract it can hand out, and with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond already in place, the priority is a third-string big.
That need became sharper after the Knicks lost Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti in free agency. Drummond gives them some help on the offensive glass, but he is no longer much of a rim protector, which only makes the search for another center more urgent.
Simmons, for all his strengths, doesn’t solve that. He has always been a solid defender and rebounder, and at six-foot-ten he can handle the ball well enough to bring something different. But the shot has never been there, and after spending a full year away, there’s plenty of uncertainty about what he would actually provide.
That uncertainty has only grown since the Sixers traded him to the Nets in 2022.
For New York, the better move is staying focused on the roster hole that actually matters. SNY’s Ian Begley reported on Thursday that Drew Eubanks is one of the big men on the Knicks’ radar as training camp gets closer.
And for Simmons, landing with the Kings may be the cleaner path anyway. He should have a more realistic route to minutes there than he would have had in New York, giving him a chance to show he can still help and maybe work his way back toward a contending situation later. Maybe then the Knicks can revisit the idea.
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Knicks May Need To Watch One Clippers Center Situation Closely
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For the Knicks, the part to watch is whether a veteran center in Los Angeles could eventually become available if the situation pushes the Clippers toward a buyout path. Nothing is close, and it is all still speculative, but New York has obvious reason to keep an eye on any frontcourt name that might shake loose from a troubled contender as the season develops. [Read more 🡒]
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Brunson had surgery after the season, and with training camps getting closer, he still has not been cleared for basketball activities. Peyton Watson recently talked about how hard it is to navigate the postseason when a body is not right, even from the other side of it after a hamstring strain kept him out, which only adds another layer to what Brunson managed to do on the way to the title. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face One Roster Decision That Could Shape Their Bench
The Knicks are still piecing together the back end of their roster, and the focus has turned to two veteran free agents who could help fill out the bench. Drew Eubanks and John Konchar are both on New Yorks radar as the team looks to add depth without taking on much risk, a familiar balancing act for a club trying to preserve flexibility while keeping enough reliable options around the rotation.
Eubanks would give the Knicks another body in the middle and a chance to compete for the third center role, while Konchar offers the kind of defense and rebounding that can make a reserve useful even when the ball is not in his hands. The decision matters because the final roster spots often come down to fit as much as talent, and New York appears to be weighing whether it wants size, versatility or a little of both before the bench is set. [Read more 🡒]