The Sacramento Kings are signing former No. 1 pick Ben Simmons to a one-year, $3.5 million deal, ESPN reported on Friday. The three-time NBA All-Star didn't play last season as he rehabilitated from lingering back and leg injuries Simmons, 30, had been vocal this offseason about a potential NBA comeback. Last month, Simmons traveled to Melbourne to participate in the Australian national team's player-led minicamp.
Simmons hasn't played for Australia's national team since he was a teenager back in 2013 and missed the last three Olympic cycles for various reasons. The last time Simmons played in the NBA was during the 2024-25 season, when he appeared in 51 games combined for the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. Simmons averaged 5.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds that season.
Sacramento's interest in Simmons -- albeit under the previous front office led by former general manager Monte McNair -- dates back to 2022. The Kings reportedly pursued the former Philadelphia 76ers star at the 2022 trade deadline, but pivoted elsewhere. Instead, the Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers in a package centered around Domantas Sabonis.
Days after Sacramento made the trade for Sabonis, the 76ers shipped Simmons to Brooklyn in exchange for James Harden. Simmons has played in just 108 NBA games across four seasons after being traded from the team that drafted him back in 2016. The New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors also considered signing Simmons, the Athletic reported, before he agreed to terms with the Kings, his fourth NBA team, in what could prove to be a mutually beneficial move.
For the second consecutive offseason, Sacramento is signing a former NBA All-Star deep into the offseason. Last year, the Kings signed Russell Westbrook right before training camp began to add more depth to their thin point guard room. With Westbrook electing to call it a career this offseason -- despite reported interest from Sacramento and the Washington Wizards -- the Kings once again needed to add depth to the room with training camp just weeks away.
Sacramento drafted Darius Acuff Jr. with the No. 7 pick. The rookie projects to be the team's starting point guard on opening night. However, the depth behind Acuff at point guard is thin.
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