Three-time All-Star Ben Simmons is back in the NBA after agreeing to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings on Friday, his agents Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney told Andscape and ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Simmons returns to the NBA after missing the 2025-26 season to rehabilitate lingering back and leg injuries. Now healthy, the 6-foot-10, 240-pounder impressed Kings general manager Scott Perry when he worked out for him in Miami and had an hourlong meeting in late August.
Simmons also traveled to Sacramento to visit the Kings and impressed coach Doug Christie and other members of the basketball staff at the team’s practice facility Monday where he underwent an in-depth medical exam and conducted an on-court workout.
In the following days, the Kings offered Simmons a contract with the expectation of him being a backup point guard for rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and play positions 1 through 5. For the Kings, Simmons serves as a high-upside reclamation project who still has years left in his perspective prime.
Simmons’ stock rose after he played well while being a full participant in a minicamp with the Australia men’s basketball national team in early August. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors expressed interest in Simmons that could have led to a potential training camp invite. The Kings, however, were the only NBA team to offer him contract. A source said Simmons is excited about playing for the Kings and believes the organization will give him the support and opportunity he has hoped for in his return to the NBA.
The Kings finished 22-60 last season, tying for the worst record in the Western Conference. They waived DeMar DeRozan in July and didn’t bring back free agent Russell Westbrook, leaving them with a hole at the guard position.
Simmons was the first overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA draft out of LSU. The Melbourne, Australia, native won the 2018 NBA Rookie of the Year award and was an NBA All-Defensive first-team selection in 2020.
The 30-year-old’s NBA career has also included numerous challenges, including missing the 2016-17 season with a foot injury and missing the 2021-22 season amid a trade holdout, mental health concerns and various physical ailments.
Simmons has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 383 regular-season games for the 76ers, Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers. After being waived in February 2025 following a buyout with the Nets, Simmons averaged 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 18 games for the Clippers while playing limited minutes and fighting back issues. Simmons’ last NBA game was Game 5 of the first round against the Denver Nuggets.
He told Andscape in July that he felt as healthy as he had in years and believed he was ready to return to the NBA.
During his NBA hiatus, he purchased a 50% ownership stake in the South Florida Sails professional angling club in December 2025, becoming the team’s controlling operator.
