The Sacramento Kings may not be getting much love as the 2026-27 season approaches, but Zach LaVine isn’t hiding his enthusiasm about what Ben Simmons could bring to the mix.
Sacramento’s new group - Darius Acuff Jr., LaVine, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis - already gives the team a foundation with plenty of upside. Simmons, though, might be the piece that swings the whole thing. The Kings brought him in on a non-guaranteed veteran minimum deal, and there’s clearly real belief inside the building that he can matter.
LaVine made that plain at media day when he talked about what it means to have Simmons alongside him.
"First off, I'm happy Ben is back and healthy. We all know here the journey he had, obviously, with him being injured and the type of player he was ... a 6'10" point guard that can play one through four, was an All-NBA defender, an All-Star.
I'm super excited for him. I've seen him move around just in camp, and he's back looking healthy again and his mind is good.
The excitement is there ... I'm excited to play with him."
That optimism isn’t coming out of nowhere. Simmons, 30, still carries the résumé and skill set that made him such a fascinating player in the first place.
He hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2024-25 season, and health has been the major question hanging over him. Even so, the Kings are betting that if he gets close to his old level, he can change a lot for them.
He won’t solve Sacramento’s three-point shooting issues, but that’s not the point. Simmons can help everywhere else. His size, burst, ball-handling, defense and playmaking give the Kings a very different kind of weapon, and that’s why the reaction around him has been so positive.
LaVine also pointed to the fit between the two players, saying Simmons’ pace and passing should open things up for him.
"A guy like him, the way he gets up and down the floor and passes the ball, it complements my game greatly, so I'm excited," LaVine said about Simmons.
There’s also a practical side to all of this. Simmons gives Doug Christie more lineup options and more defensive flexibility, while also taking some pressure off Acuff Jr. as a ball-handler. That kind of versatility is exactly why the Kings see him as more than just a flier on a veteran minimum contract.
Simmons has also been making a strong early impression in camp, with reports of him looking much more like himself and regaining confidence. The buzz has only grown now that he’s showing it on the floor.
Simmons put his own goals bluntly when asked what he can bring to Sacramento:
"To dominate. Every time I step on the floor to dominate"
If he keeps trending that way, the Kings may end up with one of the offseason’s most intriguing additions.
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Dan Dakich then piled onto the controversy by criticizing the reporters, only adding more heat to a situation the Kings probably would have preferred to leave in the rearview mirror. Sacramento has not issued a statement, and with the reporters identities still unknown, the episode lingers as an awkward spotlight on a team trying to keep its focus on basketball. [Read more 🡒]