The Sacramento Kings signed Ben Simmons earlier this week, and recently, the signing was praised by an NBA veteran.
The Sacramento Kings have had a decent offseason thus far, but one of the more intriguing moves is no doubt the signing of Ben Simmons, which was a one-year, $3.5 million deal.
With the Kings signing Simmons, they gained a player who excels on defense and has the ability to create for others on the offensive, which is great, especially considering the fact that Sacramento has a few solid scorers, including rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. and veteran guard Zach LaVine.
When it comes to the Kings signing Simmons, it appears to be gaining positive attention overall, and recently, one current NBA veteran spoke out on why he likes this signing.
The NBA veteran who spoke out is Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, who touched on the move on his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show," and when Green talked about the move, he brought up some reasons why he thinks it will work out for both sides.
"Now, when I look at this signing, I think this is great for Darius Acuff (Jr.). You have a Ben Simmons who's eager to make it right, who's so he's going to give you the game. And he's going to work his ass off. I think this is great for Darius Acuff (Jr.). Let's face it, Ben Simmons is Ben Simmons. This will take some of the pressure off Darius Acuff (Jr.)," Green said.
"And for a general manager who's who knows as much as Scott Perry does. I think that's one of the deciding factors, if not the deciding factor, behind this move. But needless to say, I think it's a good move for the Kings. I think it's a good move, obviously, for Ben Simmons to see him back in the NBA, and most importantly, I think this is a good move for Darius Acuff (Jr.) that will allow some of the pressure to come off of Acuff and allow him to grow like rookies need to grow," Green added.
So, when looking at what Green said, it's pretty clear what he thinks about this move, he truly believes that Simmons will fit in with the Kings well, but specifically he will take pressure off Acuff as a rookie guard.
Green makes a great point, being a guard in the NBA is not easy at all as it requires great ball handling, great conditioning and understanding of the schematics, and being a rookie having to all of those things is even harder.
With that said, because the Kings have signed Simmons, they now have a player who can take some of that pressure of Acuff when it comes to the ball handling which will be huge because now Acuff should have more opportunities to let his shots come to him rather than forcing them.
Additionally, Green also talked about the fact that general manager Scott Perry is very knowledgeable, and the fact that he made this move proves that Simmons is a player who can contribute and be a valuable component for a team in the NBA.
Now shifting the focus to Simmons on the floor, he has actually been out of the NBA for a little while as he last played in the 2024-2025 season, but he has been a solid player throughout his NBA career.
Throughout Simmons' career, he has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game.
Overall, Simmons has proven the ability to contribute on both ends of the floor with his ability to create for others and drive to the rim on offense as well as his ability to guard all five positions on defense and use his 6-10 and 240 pound frame to wreck havoc on opposing players.
So, as Simmons and the Kings head into the 2026 season, it will be very interesting to see where he lands in the rotation and what kind of impact he can make on both ends of the floor.
