SACRAMENTO — Ben Simmons is back in the NBA. The three-time All-Star agreed 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 — a return after he sat out the entire 2025-26 season rehabilitating lingering back and leg injuries.

Simmons, 30, last played for the Los Angeles Clippers in April 2025. ABC News, citing AAP and Field Level Media/Reuters, reported the Melbourne-born former No. 1 overall pick celebrated the deal on social media Saturday morning (AEST) with a photo of himself in a Kings cap. ESPN reported he impressed Sacramento general manager Scott Perry in a late-August Miami workout and follow-up meeting, then visited the practice facility with head coach Doug Christie and other staff.

The Kings view him as a high-upside reclamation project and potential backup point guard behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr., with the ability to play positions one through five, ESPN reported. The New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors had shown interest that could have led to a training-camp invite, but Sacramento was the only team to put a contract on the table, according to that reporting.

Drafted first overall by Philadelphia in 2016, Simmons won 2017-18 Rookie of the Year and made two All-Defensive teams before injuries and limited shooting stalled his career across stints with the 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, and Clippers. Career averages sit at 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.5 steals in 383 games. He has not played more than 58 games in a season since 2018-19.

Sacramento went 22-60 last season and finished 14th in the West. Preseason opens at home against the Lakers on Oct. 5; the regular-season opener is at the Clippers on Oct. 21. For Simmons, the deal also keeps Olympic and World Cup paths alive with the Australian Boomers after a mini-camp in Melbourne last month.

Sources