Ben Simmons is getting another shot in the NBA. After spending an entire season away from the game to focus on his health, the former Nets star has agreed to a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings.
Ben Simmons is back in the NBA.
The former Brooklyn Nets star has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.
It marks Simmons’ return to the league after he spent the entire 2025-26 season away from basketball. The former No. 1 overall pick used the year to focus on getting healthy after dealing with back and leg issues for several seasons.
Now, he has another NBA opportunity.
Simmons first caught Sacramento’s attention when Kings general manager Scott Perry watched him work out in Miami in late August. Simmons then traveled to Sacramento earlier this week to work out for head coach Doug Christie and other members of the organization. He also went through an in-depth medical examination during his visit.
The Kings ultimately felt comfortable enough with what they saw to offer Simmons a contract.
Sacramento is expected to use him as a veteran backup for rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr., who was selected seventh overall in this year’s draft. The Kings had been looking for an experienced point guard who could help Acuff while also giving them some versatility off the bench.
That could be an interesting role for Simmons if he can stay healthy.
Simmons recently said he feels better physically than he has in years. He also participated without restrictions in a player-led minicamp with the Australian national team earlier this summer, and reports from the camp indicated that he had regained the athleticism that made him such a difficult matchup earlier in his career.
There was a time when Simmons looked like one of the NBA’s future stars.
Philadelphia selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and he went on to win Rookie of the Year in 2018. Simmons then made three straight All-Star teams from 2019 through 2021 while also earning All-Defensive First Team honors twice.
But his career took a sharp turn following Philadelphia’s second-round playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021.
After requesting a trade from the Sixers, Simmons was eventually sent to Brooklyn as part of the blockbuster deal that sent James Harden to Philadelphia. The Nets hoped he could become a major part of a team built around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
It never worked out that way.
Simmons missed the remainder of the 2021-22 season and continued to battle back problems during his time in Brooklyn. He underwent surgeries in May 2022 and March 2024 and played just 90 regular-season games for the Nets over parts of three seasons.
Brooklyn eventually reached a buyout agreement with Simmons in February 2025, allowing him to finish the 2024-25 season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
He appeared in 18 games for Los Angeles, averaging 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, before spending the following season out of the NBA entirely.
That year away was a different approach for Simmons. Rather than rushing back to find another team, he focused on getting his body right and stepping away from some of the pressure that had followed him throughout his career.
Simmons has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.5 steals over 383 regular-season games in his career. While his lack of a consistent jump shot has always been a concern, he can still bring plenty to a team when healthy. His size, passing ability, rebounding, and defensive versatility made him one of the league’s most unique players during his best years.
The Kings are now hoping they can get something close to that version of Simmons.
For Simmons, the contract gives him what he has been looking for since stepping away from the game: another chance to prove he can still help an NBA team.
After everything he has gone through, he finally has that opportunity.
