Michael Scotto: Update: Ben Simmons has signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal worth up to $3.5 million with the Sacramento Kings, per sources. If he makes the opening night roster, he’ll earn $1 million. The 30-year-old, 3-time All-Star is making an NBA comeback. ESPN was first on an agreement.
More on Ben Simmons: Recent HoopsHype Rumors
Marc Stein: The Kings today officially signed Ben Simmons to a one-year deal. The Kings, per their official press release, are listing the three-time NBA All-Star as a 6-foot-10 guard. — 9/8/2026 x.com
David Patrick on Ben Simmons: "Being off a year and a half gives you a new lease on life so to speak. It also takes less miles off your body, so he's 30, but he's basically a year and a half off in terms of the pounding of the NBA, and I think his hunger
for the game is back. It's easy when you've been the number one pick, you've been a multi-time All-Star, you've been a defensive player, you get all those accolades quick and you think it comes easy, and I think like any young man or woman, you take some things for granted, so I think he's in a different space." — 9/8/2026 YouTube
David Patrick: "People thought Ben Simmons was going to be the next LeBron, on Magic, or whatever the case may be, and I think that's where their frustration comes. I always say, if you told me this kid would be a one-time All-Star and a number one pick, that's success, and to do that and make the money he's got and to continue to want to play basketball, I think speaks volumes to him as a kid and a competitor." — 9/8/2026 YouTube
According to his godfather, David Patrick, who currently serves as an associate head coach at Arizona State, Simmons' hunger for basketball appears to be returning to the level it was during his best years with the Philadelphia 76ers. Patrick also suggested that Simmons has become much more comfortable shooting from deep, confidently taking threes in live situations without worrying about whether they go in. "His hunger for the game is back," Patrick said on the Matt & Kayla Show on Sactown Sports 1140. "He comes to camp, he's shooting threes in live play, doesn't care whether they make or miss… That swagger, that confidence that he once had, is back," he added. — 9/8/2026 BasketNews
Legion Hoops: REPORT: Ben Simmons is open to a long-term stay with the Kings, per @MarcJSpears. “One thing he likes about Sacramento is… he’s never played in a small market and sometimes that’s a safer haven. You go to Sacramento, it’s about basketball. I’d put their fans up there with anyone in the world.” (via @Sactown1140) — 9/5/2026 x.com
Shams Charania: Just in: Three-time All-Star Ben Simmons has agreed on a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, his agents Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney tell me and @MarcJSpears . The one-time All-NBA star is back in the NBA for a 10th season after sitting out 2025-26. — 9/4/2026 x.com
Simmons, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, missed three full seasons for both physical and mental health reasons and was sidelined for more than half of his 10 years in the league (383 regular-season games played in all). He is expected to offer depth at point guard for the rebuilding Kings behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr. — 9/4/2026 New York Times
The Kings, who took Acuff at No. 7 out of Arkansas in the June draft, were reportedly interested in veterans such as Russell Westbrook (who opted to retire) and Victor Oladipo before opting for Simmons. And so the latest Simmons experiment begins — again. The Kings weren’t the only team considering Simmons, as league sources say the Knicks and Warriors were also in the mix. — 9/4/2026 New York Times
Law Murray: Covering LeBron James last season, he had an internal conflict going on with how much he had to defer to Austin Reaves (even Bron understood that Luka was the top dawg in any circumstance). Bron was very pleased with being able to still be the lead option in a postseason setting, particularly a winning one against the Rockets. But he's still on the other side of 40. I don't look at him like a traditional point guard, and he surely won't be guarding point guards. The ball is still going to be brought up primarily by Tyrese Maxey, but Maxey already is used to sharing the rock and being effective off of other ball-dominant players. He started his career with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. He worked with James Harden for two seasons. Even last year, VJ Edgecombe got touches as a rookie. So Maxey will be sharing playmaking duties with James, without James having to ever over-handle the basketball. It should help everyone in that offense, especially Jaylen Brown, get to a point where they are all efficient and get the ball in places where they can maximize damage. I don't think it happens overnight, but if they get enough games together in the regular season, then Philadelphia's offense has a vast ceiling in the spring. — 8/29/2026 reddit
The Sacramento Kings held a workout for Ben Simmons ahead of his potential NBA comeback, according to Carmichael Dave. "I was told by somebody earlier in the show, not necessarily Kings-related, but you know, somebody who was present at those workouts," he began on SacTown Sports 1140. "I got a text from that person that says, quote, 'Ben Simmons looked fantastic.' I don't know what he was referring to, maybe that he was handsome." "As much as I'm not immune about the Ben Simmons talk, I'm also not immune to the annual offseason 'Ben Simmons is amazing' angle," he concluded. — 8/27/2026 BasketNews
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Ben Simmons' contract with Kings non-guaranteed
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