The Sacramento Kings are back in the same uncomfortable place they tried to leave behind: waiting on Ben Simmons, again.
This time, the damage is even worse. Simmons suffered a torn Achilles in practice before the regular season even started, and he’s now set to miss at least another year. The injury immediately revived the same questions that followed him into Sacramento in the first place - only louder now, and harder to ignore.
The Kings took a swing on Simmons after more than a year away from the NBA, and the logic was easy to understand. His injury history made the move a gamble, but the ceiling was still there.
When he’s healthy, Simmons brings top-tier talent. He can be borderline unstoppable.
For a rebuilding team like Sacramento, that kind of player can change the direction of everything.
Instead, it unraveled before the season even got going.
The criticism during the preseason centered on how much the Kings were resting him. In hindsight, that debate looks almost ironic.
Maybe they should have kept him off the floor even more. Either way, there was no way to know this exact injury was coming, but the broader concern was always part of the deal with Simmons.
His return path now looks like the toughest one yet. He’s already had multiple major comebacks after long absences, which says plenty about his resilience. But there’s also a point where teams stop taking the same chance over and over, and the source here suggests he may already be there.
Sacramento has its own mess to sort through. The CBA means the Kings have to keep Simmons under contract and keep paying him while he recovers. And with this injury, his chances of playing for them this season are basically zero.
So the next few months become a decision-making period for the Kings. They have to weigh whether holding onto Simmons still makes sense, knowing every time he gets on the court carries serious risk. If another team shows interest, Sacramento could look to move on.
The problem is that the Kings need this rebuild to actually work, and that means relying on players who aren’t carrying constant health concerns. They could wait and see whether Simmons heals and try again in 2027-2028, but that assumes he stays healthy long enough to get there.
In Other News...
Kings Need This Key Boost To Avoid A Brutal 0-2 Start
The Kings are back home with a chance to steady things quickly after dropping their 2026-27 season opener to the Clippers. Sacramento now turns to Portland, where the focus is less on making a statement and more on avoiding an ugly 0-2 start before the season even has a chance to settle in.
Malik Monk is the biggest boost on the board, with the guard probable to return after missing the preseason and the opener. Ben Simmons and two others remain sidelined, but the matchup still gives Sacramento a shot to lean on its depth against a Trail Blazers group that will be without Shaedon Sharpe yet otherwise arrives nearly whole, including new addition Ja Morant. [Read more 🡒]
Kings May Need More From This New Signing Than Expected
Sean Pedulla is officially in the fold on a two-way contract, giving Sacramento another young guard to work with as it sorts out the back end of its roster. The former Virginia Tech and Ole Miss standout arrives with some momentum after being named G League Rookie of the Year last season, and the Kings are clearly banking on that development carrying over as they look for backup point guard help.
Pedullas timing matters because Sacramento needs depth behind the ballhandlers it plans to rely on after Ben Simmons injury. The Kings have had success turning two-way players into standard NBA contributors, so this is more than a simple camp body situation - it is a chance for a promising guard to show he can become part of the rotation sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Sabonis Just Put Sacramento's Early Offensive Tension In Focus
After the Kings season-opening loss to the Clippers, Domantas Sabonis put a spotlight on one of the first big questions of Sacramentos new year: who should really be steering the offense. Sabonis, who filled the box score with 14 points, 18 rebounds and 8 assists, said the group needs a different approach to improve ball movement and generate cleaner scoring chances, and he made clear he believes involving him more as a playmaker would help.
The conversation also touched rookie Darius Acuff Jr., who took the most shots in his NBA debut but did not finish efficiently. Even so, the debut offered a glimpse of why Sacramento is interested in his potential as a creator, and it only adds to the broader challenge the Kings are already facing in sorting out how their offense should function in the early going. [Read more 🡒]