Sacramento Kings bring back Ben Simmons on one-year, $3.5 million deal Por Carolina Costa
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Ben Simmons signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings on Friday, September 4, 2026. The deal was confirmed by the guard’s representatives, Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney.
The 6-foot-10 point guard missed the entire 2025-26 season while treating chronic back and leg injuries. Once healthy, he ran an individual workout in Miami that caught the attention of Kings general manager Scott Perry, followed by an hour-long meeting in late August.
Simmons then flew to Sacramento the following Monday. He toured the team’s training facility, underwent a detailed physical and took part in an on-court session watched by head coach Doug Christie and other staff members.
What Sacramento envisions for Simmons inside its rotation
Days after the visit, the Kings extended the offer with Simmons expected to back up rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. The front office is banking on the Australian’s positional versatility, since he has played all five spots at different points in his career.
For Sacramento, it’s a high-risk, high-reward move. The team is trying to rebuild after finishing just 22-60 last season, a mark that tied for the worst record in the Western Conference.
Why interest from other franchises never turned into an offer
Simmons’ performance at an Australian national team minicamp in early August helped revive league-wide interest. Minnesota and Golden State both looked into him, with the possibility of a training camp invite on the table.
Neither club, however, put forward a formal contract. Sacramento was the only team that did.
A person close to the negotiations said Simmons is excited about the opportunity in Sacramento and believes the organization will give him the support he was seeking to relaunch his NBA career.
The backcourt gap Kings executives felt pressure to close
The franchise waived DeMar DeRozan in July and did not bring back veteran Russell Westbrook, moves that left the point guard spot thin on the roster. Simmons arrives as an attempt to fill that gap, even if only partially and as something of a rehab project.
- Contract: one year, $3.5 million
- Expected role: backup point guard to Darius Acuff Jr.
- Teams that inquired but didn’t offer: Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors
- Previous season record: 22-60
The rise and fall that shaped Simmons’ NBA path
Selected first overall in the 2016 draft out of LSU, the Melbourne-born guard won Rookie of the Year in 2018 and made the league’s All-Defensive First Team in 2020.
His career has also been marked by lost seasons. He sat out all of 2016-17 with a foot injury and missed 2021-22 amid a trade holdout, mental health struggles and various physical issues. Across 383 regular-season games with the 76ers, Nets and Clippers, Simmons averaged 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
After being released by Brooklyn in February 2025, he signed with the Clippers and appeared in 18 games, averaging 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in limited minutes while still dealing with back pain. His last NBA appearance came in Game 5 of the first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets.
In July, he told Andscape he felt “as healthy as I’ve been in years” and believed he was ready to return to the league.
During his time away from the court, Simmons bought a 50% stake in the professional sport fishing team South Florida Sails in December 2025 and has since operated the club as majority owner.
