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.
More on Ben Simmons: Recent HoopsHype Rumors
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
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
Sactown Sports 1140: ? NOT A DRILL ? According to @CarmichaelDave , Sacramento Kings GM Scott Perry will be in Florida today to watch free agent G/F Ben Simmons go through a workout? — 8/25/2026 x.com
Fischer expects Simmons to eventually join an NBA team for training camp this fall, but potentially without any guaranteed salary attached. "I'm basically expecting Ben Simmons to be in some NBA team's training camp come this fall," Fischer said. — 8/11/2026 BasketNews
Ben Simmons appears to be teasing a major push to fulfill his plans of an NBA comeback. On Instagram, the former NBA star sparked plenty of reactions with his latest post, which featured a photo of him inside a basketball gym. Simmons said he is proud of where he stands and is “ready for wherever this goes” in the caption. "I wouldn't change the story," Simmons wrote. "The highs, the lows, the pain, the time, the lessons. I embrace all of it. Every chapter built something in me that I couldn't have built any other way. Grateful for where I've been. Proud of where I stand. Ready for wherever this goes." — 8/9/2026 BasketNews
Marc J. Spears: NBA free agent forward Ben Simmons is expected to be a full participant with “zeros restrictions” in a player-led Aussie men’s national team mini-camp in Melbourne beginning Monday, sources to @andscape. Simmons took last season off in hopes of completely healing from injuries. The three-time NBA All-Star paid his own way to the camp. A coach who worked out Simmons recently said he has regained his athleticism. The injury-plagued 30-year-old recently told @andscape this is the best he’s felt in years. He last played with the Nets & Clippers 24-25 season. Sources: Several NBA teams have expressed interest to Simmons’ camp, including one West squad that offered a training camp invite. He is also open to signing a vet minimum contract. Simmons has dreams of playing for Australia during 2028 LA Olympics. Attending mini-camp aids hope. — 8/9/2026 x.com
Simmons seems to be in a good place mentally now, but with all the scrutiny that comes from being Ben Simmons, I wanted to know if there’s added pressure for this comeback. “Nah, there’s no pressure,” he says. “I had pressure when I was injured. People are gonna say the same thing every single time. It’s like, All right, well, if that’s what you think, then that’s what you think.” He thinks people are quick to forget the impact he could have on the court in his best moments, the way he contributes in ways that don’t show up on a stat sheet. “When I’m out there, I make everybody better. I play defense. I get offensive rebounds.” — 6/29/2026 Men's Health
This is why Simmons finds it particularly frustrating when people question his love of the game or his competitiveness, or constantly evaluate his game through the lens of how he once played. “The joy that I play with comes from being healthy,” he says. “How do you love something when you’re fucked up? How do you love something that you do when you’re incapable of doing it?” When I ask Simmons why he didn’t just tell people how much pain he was in, he says that he didn’t want it to sound like an excuse. “The people I’m closest to, I’ll explain it to them,” he says. “But at the same time, I don’t have the energy to prove it to everybody, you know? And people are gonna make up whatever they want anyway.” — 6/29/2026 Men's Health
Ben Simmons says it took him a long time to realize that it was also a nervous system issue. “You can’t be in a state where you’re in a high-stress situation all the time, especially trying to recover from a back injury,” he says. “I would’ve rather gone through a broken foot again, ’cause it would have been clear and easy.” — 6/29/2026 Men's Health
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Knicks and Warriors were also in the mix for Ben Simmons
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
