The Sacramento Kings’ signing of Ben Simmons is the kind of move that gets people talking immediately, even if the price tag keeps the risk in check. A former No. 1 overall pick and three-time All-Star landing in Sacramento on a veteran minimum deal is exactly the sort of swing that can look smart fast - or vanish without much damage if it never clicks.
That’s what makes this one tricky to read. The Kings have not exactly flooded the offseason with noise, but this addition brings plenty of it. And while the contract makes the gamble feel manageable, there’s still a wide range of outcomes here for both sides.
At the optimistic end, Simmons gives himself a real chance to remind the league why he was once one of the more dynamic players in basketball. The backlash around his return has been loud, with plenty of people reacting as if just seeing the 30-year-old back in the league is some kind of controversy. But Sacramento might actually be a decent landing spot for him.
The situation comes with lower expectations than he would face with a team like the New York Knicks or Golden State Warriors, and that matters. Simmons should have a path to minutes, and that could give him the kind of runway he needs to make an actual impact without every possession feeling like a referendum on his career.
His last NBA stop was rough. In 18 games with the L.A.
Clippers, he put up 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. That is a long way from the version of Simmons who starred with the Philadelphia 76ers from 2017 to 2021.
Still, after taking the 2025-26 season off to get his mind and body right, there is at least a believable path to something closer to that old level in Sacramento.
That’s the upside for the Kings too. If Simmons finds anything close to his former self, the deal could look like a steal and give Sacramento a real boost. If not, the team hasn’t boxed itself in.
The contract is only one year and worth $3.5 million, but it is not guaranteed until January. If Simmons makes the opening night roster, he is owed $1 million, and the Kings still get all of training camp and preseason to decide whether to move on without paying anything. That makes the whole thing unusually flexible.
And right now, that flexibility matters because the public evidence is thin. The only things floating around are reports that Simmons looks improved this offseason. No Kings fan has actually seen it yet, and until training camp and preseason start, there will be room for doubt about whether those around him are overselling what he can still do.
If he shows enough, the Kings keep him and see where it goes. If he doesn’t, Sacramento can walk away.
That would be the worst outcome for Simmons, but not a disastrous one for the Kings. It would simply mean the experiment ended before it really began.
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Russell Westbrook Could Still Have One More Kings Chapter
Russell Westbrooks lone season in Sacramento might not end up being just a brief late-career stop after all. After finishing his 17th NBA season with the Kings, Westbrook stepped away from playing and has since shifted into business ventures and basketball-related work outside the league, but his connection to the organization has remained a point of curiosity for fans who watched him bring his usual energy to a new setting.
What makes the Kings interest worth following is the path that opened up at the end of his playing days. Westbrook chose retirement after being asked to embrace a mentoring role behind a rookie point guard, and the idea of him staying tied to Sacramento in a different capacity has already started to circulate. A coaching role would be a very different chapter, but it would also fit the sense that his Kings story may not be finished yet. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Let A Former First Round Pick Become This Player
Davion Mitchells path has come full circle in a way the Kings probably did not envision when they took him ninth overall in 2021. After three seasons in Sacramento, he was dealt first to Toronto and then to Miami, where the young guard has steadily reshaped his game by soaking up lessons from veteran teammates and carving out a bigger role than the one he had early in his career.
Miamis decision to keep him around says plenty about how far he has come. Mitchell finished a breakout season as the Heats starting point guard and followed it with a two-year contract extension, a sign that the player Sacramento once drafted for his defensive edge has grown into a much more complete piece for a contender. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face A Darius Acuff Jr. Debate That Could Shape Both Timelines
Darius Acuff Jr. has already given the Kings something worth weighing carefully: a rookie guard with real scoring ability and a college track record that included leading the SEC in assists. That blend makes him intriguing in Sacramento, where the long view and the win-now push are always overlapping. The temptation is obvious, because a young guard who can get downhill and create for others can eventually become a central piece of a teams identity.
For now, though, the cleaner path appears to run through Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis as the offensive anchors, with Acuff developing into more of a facilitator alongside them. His ability to penetrate defenses and generate assists is the part that could matter most over time, since it gives the Kings a chance to grow him into a playmaker rather than rush him into a role that asks for too much too soon. The debate is less about whether Acuff belongs in the picture and more about how quickly Sacramento wants that picture to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]