Ben Simmons’ comeback bid has been stopped cold.
The Kings confirmed Tuesday that Simmons has torn his right Achilles and will undergo surgery, according to a press release cited by Marc Stein. The team did not provide a recovery timeline, but the injury will almost certainly wipe out the entire 2026/27 season for the 30-year-old.
The news follows earlier reporting from Shams Charania that Simmons was believed to have suffered the tear in practice on Sunday.
Simmons had been trying to carve his way back into the league after sitting out since the end of the 2024/25 season. His absence had been tied to a back injury that affected both his mobility and effectiveness in recent years, along with the confidence issues that have shadowed him since his Sixers days.
There were signs of a real spark in Sacramento’s preseason. In two games, Simmons looked more assertive than he had in years, averaging 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 17.4 minutes per game. For a player trying to rebuild his place in the NBA, it was exactly the kind of start he needed.
Instead, the Kings are now staring at a major hole. Simmons was expected to be in the opening-night starting five with Darius Acuff, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. Sacramento has already leaned on Precious Achiuwa during the preseason, starting him in four of the five games he played while he averaged 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds.
If the Achilles concern holds, Simmons’ injury would also be the third such setback around the NBA in preseason action before the season has even begun. The Thunder’s Otega Oweh and the Sixers’ Ariel Hukporti both suffered Achilles tears earlier in exhibition play.
In Other News...
Doug Christie Is Quickly Becoming A Serious Kings Problem
Doug Christie inherited a messy situation when he took over as Kings head coach in 2024 after Mike Brown was fired, and his first full season did not exactly offer much breathing room. Sacramento was dealing with a poorly balanced roster and a run of injuries, and even with some roster improvement since then, the early signs around this preseason have not been encouraging for a team trying to stabilize itself.
Christies approach has also reportedly rubbed some players the wrong way, adding another layer to a job that already looked fragile from the outside. Now there is growing speculation that he may not be the coach by the end of the current season, which leaves the Kings facing a familiar question: whether they can find any real traction before the season slips further out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Enter Opening Night With One New Concern Up Front
The Kings trimmed their roster to get to opening night, waiving Viktor Lakhin, Tristen Newton and Elfrid Payton as they finalized the group that will start the 2026-27 season. Sacramento will carry 17 players into the opener against the L.A. Clippers, a standard enough move at this point in the calendar, but one that also leaves the frontcourt picture a little more fragile than the team would like heading into the first week.
The bigger concern is Maxime Raynaud, who suffered a right patellar subluxation and will be reevaluated in about two weeks. For a team already sorting out its opening-night rotation, any setback up front matters, especially with the season about to begin and the margin for early lineup stability already looking thinner than the Kings probably hoped. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Monks Kings Role Suddenly Feels Far Less Clear
Malik Monks place in Sacramento suddenly feels more uncertain than it did just a few months ago. He has not appeared in the Kings preseason games, with ankle soreness cited as the reason, and that absence comes against the backdrop of a summer in which the team reportedly tried to move him in both the 2025 offseason and during the regular season but could not find a deal.
Monks limited playing time has only added to the questions, especially because there has been no official explanation beyond the soreness. For a Kings team still sorting out its rotation and direction, the situation leaves Monk in a familiar but uncomfortable spot, with speculation about his future lingering even as the preseason moves on. [Read more 🡒]