Ben Simmons is heading back to the NBA, and the Sacramento Kings are the team giving him the chance.
The former three-time All-Star has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Sacramento, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Marc J. Spears. His agent confirmed the agreement, which returns Simmons for his tenth NBA season after he sat out all of last year while working to get his body right following years of back issues.
Sacramento had been circling for a while. Simmons first worked out for general manager Scott Perry in late August and reportedly spent about an hour with him. The early feedback was strong, with one person in attendance saying the former No. 1 overall pick looked fantastic.
That led to a more thorough look this week. The Kings brought Simmons to Sacramento on Monday for medical testing, on-court work, and meetings with head coach Doug Christie and other team personnel before the sides reached a deal.
The reports around Simmons have stayed positive throughout the process.
He also took part in Australia’s players-only minicamp last month, and both Team Australia officials and people with the Kings believed he looked and felt strong physically.
That’s the key piece here. If Simmons is going to make this comeback work, health has to hold.
The last NBA action he saw came in the 2024-25 season, split between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. In those last two stops, he averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 22 minutes per game, and he didn’t attempt a single three-pointer.
It’s a far cry from the player who once stacked up three straight All-Star selections. At his best, Simmons was one of the league’s most impactful two-way players, earning an All-NBA nod, making two All-Defensive teams, and building a reputation as a high-level passer, rebounder, and defender.
For his career, he’s averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
The Kings aren’t asking him to become that version again. After going 22-60 last season, they’re also trying to develop rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr., whom they selected seventh overall. Their backcourt already includes Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, and Nique Clifford, which gives Simmons a clearer lane as a secondary playmaker rather than the guy running everything.
His shooting issues are no secret, but his size and passing still give Sacramento something different.
If he’s healthy, Simmons can bring ball handling to second units, defend multiple spots, rebound, and set up chances for the Kings’ scorers.
And with a one-year, $3.5 million contract, the risk is minimal.
After a year away, Simmons has his NBA return. Now comes the bigger test: whether this healthier version can show he still belongs.
In Other News...
Kings Fans Just Got Another Brutal Reminder Of Their Team's Climb
The Kings rebuild has already asked for patience, but the last two decades have made that a tough sell to a weary fan base. Since Rick Adelmans departure, Sacramento has managed only one playoff appearance, a stretch defined by postseason droughts, front-office turnover and constant searching for the right direction, even as managing owner Vivek Ranadive has stayed in place for 13 years and GM Scott Perry has tried to push the roster toward something sturdier.
Still, the latest outside view was a harsh one. Bleacher Report projects Sacramento to sit last in its power rankings over the next three seasons, a reminder that progress in this market is still being measured against a long climb. The organization continues to treat this as a long-term build, and Perrys recent draft and roster work has drawn some optimism, but the broader picture remains clear: the Kings are still trying to prove they can turn incremental movement into real staying power. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Season Comes Down To One Pressure Point In This Rebuild
The Kings head into the 2026-27 season with the kind of roster clarity that usually only comes after a team has already made its choices. Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, De'Andre Hunter, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis are expected to form the starting group, and with the roster mostly settled, the focus in Sacramento has shifted from adding pieces to seeing what this group can become. In a rebuild, that changes the definition of success fast. Wins still matter, but so does whether the young players in the room actually move the franchise forward.
Keegan Murray sits at the center of that evaluation. His new contract starts this season, which gives the Kings both a financial commitment and a clear measuring stick for how far this rebuild can go. Projections around the team range from roughly 20 wins to 40, a reminder that the floor and ceiling are still wide apart. For Sacramento, the real pressure point is not just where the record lands, but whether the young core develops enough to make the next step feel real. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Monks Kings Role Feels Like A Rebuild Clue
Malik Monk is still in Sacramento, and that alone says something about where the Kings are headed. After trade buzz followed him through the 2025 offseason and then again at the 2026 deadline, he has stayed put, with two years left on his deal and a player option on the final season. For a Kings team that has not made any notable recent moves around him, Monks presence feels less like business as usual and more like a decision to keep one of its more movable pieces close for now.
The question is what comes next, because retaining Monk does not necessarily mean the front office is done weighing its options. Sacramento may be looking at this season as a chance to let him boost his trade value before the 2027 deadline, especially if the market shifts again. No official plan has been announced, but the longer he remains in place, the more he looks like part of a rebuild calculation rather than just a stable rotation choice. [Read more 🡒]