Training camps open around the NBA in a few weeks, but Ben Simmons has yet to find a new home.
On Monday, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that the New York Knicks offered Simmons a one-year contract, but he passed on it. Stein added that he “entered the summer hopeful of securing a contract above the minimum” and that the Knicks and Boston Celtics “expressed the most serious interest in Simmons this summer.” On a likely related note, Stein reported late last week that Bernie Lee has “formally
removed himself from the [NBPA’s] ledger as Simmons’ agent.”
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post recently reported that Simmons is “questioning whether he even wants to continue playing in the NBA next season.” During a recent Bleacher Report livestream, Jake Fischer added: “For any player who was making max money… it’s hard to accept that you are a veteran-minimum salary player. And that’s just where Ben Simmons is right now.”
That wasn’t the only Simmons-related nugget that Fischer dropped in his livestream, though. He also noted that the Sixers were at least open to a reunion with Simmons after the Brooklyn Nets bought him out in February.
“There had been some overtures, I would say, between Ben Simmons and the Sixers once he was securing a buyout from Brooklyn,” Fischer said. “He still has some friends in the area. I believe his brother was living in Philadelphia for a time. And there was some interest in Philadelphia at that point in time. But I can’t say I have any updated information on the Sixers’ interest in Ben Simmons there. I do think [Joel] Embiid and Ben have repaired that type of fracturing that went down behind the scenes as well.”
It’s worth noting that the Sixers do currently have their $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception available and have two open roster spots, although one of them is earmarked for Quentin Grimes. However, if no other team is offering Simmons more than a minimum deal, they shouldn’t dip into their taxpayer MLE to sign him.
It’s hard to believe this, but it’s now been five years since Simmons has played at an All-Star caliber level. After missing the entire 2021-22 campaign amidst his holdout from Philly and a back injury, he has played only 108 games over the past three seasons combined. During that stretch, he averaged only 5.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 23.9 minutes per game. He also shot only 52.4 percent from the free-throw line and attempted only two three-pointers, both of which came during the 2022-23 campaign.
In theory, Simmons still could provide value as a jumbo playmaker off the bench with the defensive chops to not get targeted on that end of the floor. However, the ship has likely sailed at this point on him ever getting back to the form he showed in the late 2010s. Despite what his annual offseason workout videos might suggest, his lack of improvement as a shooter limits him to being an 82-game player. Teams can largely ignore him on offense and shade additional help elsewhere, which would make him a glaring liability in the playoffs.
Simmons’ lack of availability over the past three seasons also doesn’t help his case, particularly when it comes to the Sixers. They’re already dealing with murky health situations both with Paul George and Joel Embiid. The last thing they need is to add another player with a lengthy injury history.
While a Sixers-Simmons reunion might not be on the table, it doesn’t sound like Simmons will be heading either to the Knicks or the Celtics unless he accepts reality and realizes that he’s now a minimum-contract player until he proves otherwise.
