Ben Simmons is returning to the NBA. The three-time All-Star has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings, his agents Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney confirmed Friday to Andscape and ESPN's Shams Charania [1]. The deal ends a roughly 16-month absence from professional basketball for the 30-year-old, who last played in Game 5 of the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on April 29, 2025 [3].
A Long Road Back
Simmons spent the 2025-26 season away from the league rehabilitating lingering back and leg injuries [1]. His NBA career has been defined as much by its interruptions as its highlights — he missed the entire 2016-17 rookie season with a foot injury, sat out 2021-22 amid a trade holdout and mental health concerns, and battled recurring physical ailments throughout his time with the Brooklyn Nets [1][3].
When healthy, however, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound Australian has been a uniquely versatile presence. Over 383 regular-season games with the Philadelphia 76ers, Nets, and Clippers, he has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game [1]. He won the 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year award and earned All-Defensive First Team honors twice, in 2020 and 2021 [1][3].
His final stint before the hiatus was a diminished one. After the Nets waived him in February 2025 following a buyout, Simmons signed with the Clippers and averaged just 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 18 games while managing back problems and playing limited minutes [1].
Why Sacramento?
The Kings had been tracking Simmons for more than a year before finally landing him [3]. The courtship accelerated in late August, when Simmons worked out for general manager Scott Perry in Miami and held an hour-long meeting with him [1]. He then traveled to Sacramento, where he impressed head coach Doug Christie and the broader basketball staff during an on-court workout and underwent an in-depth medical examination at the team's practice facility [1].
Sacramento's interest was sharpened by what Simmons showed elsewhere this summer. He participated as a full member of Australia's men's basketball national team minicamp in early August, a strong signal that his body had recovered [1]. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors also expressed interest that could have led to training camp invites, but the Kings were the only franchise to offer an actual contract [1].
A source told Andscape that "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" [1].
Filling a Real Roster Need
Sacramento's interest is not purely sentimental. The Kings finished 22-60 last season, tying for the worst record in the Western Conference, and enter 2026-27 with significant holes in their backcourt [1]. The team waived DeMar DeRozan in July and did not re-sign Russell Westbrook, who had served as a veteran leader the prior season [1][3]. Simmons is expected to step into that leadership vacuum as a backup point guard behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr., with the flexibility to play positions one through five [1].
For a rebuilding franchise, the calculus is straightforward: at $3.5 million on a one-year deal, Simmons represents a high-upside reclamation project with relatively limited downside [1]. He is still within what the organization views as his prime years, and the low-cost structure of the contract gives both sides an exit if the arrangement does not work [1].
Life Away From Basketball
During his year away from the NBA, Simmons did not disappear from the sports world entirely. In December 2025, he purchased a 50% ownership stake in the South Florida Sails, a professional angling club, becoming the team's controlling operator [1]. The investment signaled both his financial diversification and, perhaps, a mental reset during his rehabilitation period.
He told Andscape in July that he felt as healthy as he had in years and was ready to return to the league [1].
What to Watch
The immediate question is whether Simmons' body holds up through a full training camp and regular season — something he has not managed since his time with the 76ers. His role as a positional wildcard behind Acuff gives Sacramento's coaching staff flexibility, but his value will hinge on whether the defensive intensity and playmaking that made him a three-time All-Star can be recaptured after more than a year away from NBA competition. His one-year deal also means he will be auditioning for a longer-term home throughout the season. If he stays healthy and produces in Sacramento, a more substantial contract elsewhere could follow in the summer of 2027.
