Ben Simmons Signs One-Year, $3.5M Deal With Kings, Returns After Season Off With Injuries Seeking Fresh Start

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons is returning to professional basketball after agreeing to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings, marking his return to the league following a full season away from the court while recovering from chronic back and leg injuries.

Simmons’ agents confirmed the agreement to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Marc J. Spears on Friday. The 30-year-old missed the entire 2025-26 season after his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers expired following the 2024-25 campaign, during which he did not sign with any team in free agency as he continued working to fully recover from the back issues that had plagued much of his recent career.

According to ESPN, Simmons impressed Kings general manager Scott Perry during a workout in Miami, followed by an hourlong meeting between the two in late August that helped seal the deal. Both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors had also expressed interest in Simmons, a level of interest that could have led to a potential training camp invite with either team. Ultimately, the Kings were the only NBA franchise to formally offer Simmons a contract.

A source told ESPN that Simmons is excited about the opportunity to play for Sacramento, believing the organization will provide the support and playing opportunity he had hoped for as he works to relaunch his NBA career.

The Kings enter the coming season looking to rebuild after a difficult 2025-26 campaign, in which the team finished 22-60, tying for the worst record in the Western Conference. Sacramento further reshaped its roster this offseason by waiving veteran guard DeMar DeRozan in July and declining to bring back free agent Russell Westbrook, decisions that left the team with a notable gap at the guard position that Simmons’ playmaking ability could help address.

Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of LSU, has built a career defined by both significant early success and persistent injury setbacks. After an injury delayed his professional debut by a full year, Simmons won Rookie of the Year honors for the 2017-18 season and went on to earn three All-Star selections and two All-Defensive First Team selections during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was also named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2020, cementing his status as one of the league’s most versatile young talents before injuries began significantly disrupting his career trajectory.

Simmons’ tenure in Philadelphia ultimately ended amid a highly publicized and contentious breakup with the organization, which sent him to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the trade that brought James Harden to the 76ers. Simmons was later waived by the Nets following a contract buyout on Feb. 8, 2025, before signing with the Clippers, where he appeared in 18 games last season while battling continued back issues and playing limited minutes, averaging just 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists during that stretch.

Simmons’ most recent NBA appearance came in Game 5 of the 2025 Western Conference First Round on April 29, 2025, playing for the Clippers against the Denver Nuggets. Over his full 383-game career across the 76ers, Nets and Clippers, Simmons has averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game, numbers that reflect his elite all-around playmaking ability even amid the physical setbacks that have limited his availability throughout much of his career.

Speaking with Andscape in July, Simmons expressed confidence in his physical condition and readiness to return to the league following his year away from competition, describing himself as feeling as healthy as he had in years. Reports from that same period indicated Simmons had been training and practicing without restrictions ahead of his eventual return, further supporting his belief that he was prepared to rejoin the NBA.

Beyond his NBA ambitions, Simmons has also expressed interest in representing Team Australia at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, a goal that would require him to sustain his health and on-court performance over the coming seasons to remain part of the Australian national team’s plans heading into that tournament.

Notably, Simmons has not played more than 58 games in a single NBA season since the 2018-19 campaign, underscoring the significant durability concerns that have followed him throughout his career even as his underlying talent and production, when healthy, have remained evident. His new one-year deal with Sacramento offers both sides a relatively low-risk arrangement, giving Simmons a fresh opportunity to demonstrate his health and continued NBA relevance while giving the Kings a low-cost, potentially high-reward addition to a roster in need of guard depth and playmaking.

Sacramento is scheduled to open the NBA preseason on Oct. 5 against a visiting Los Angeles Lakers squad, followed by a regular-season opener on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers, the same franchise Simmons most recently played for before his year away from the league. Those early matchups will offer an initial glimpse into how Simmons’ game has evolved, and whether his body can hold up, as he begins his latest attempt to reestablish himself in the NBA.

For the Kings, adding Simmons represents a relatively low-cost bet on a player whose ceiling, when healthy, has historically included elite defensive versatility and playmaking that few players at his size can match. Whether Simmons can recapture even a portion of that earlier form after a full year away from competitive basketball remains to be seen, but his agreement with Sacramento gives him a clear opportunity to prove his recovery has been successful as he looks to rebuild his career and NBA standing heading into the 2026-27 season.