New NBA Rumors on Ben Simmons' Long-Term Future with Kings After Landing 1-Year Contract

Ben Simmons is making his return to the NBA following a year-long hiatus after agreeing to terms on a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings.

However, Simmons could stay in town longer than next season if all goes well, per ESPN and Andscape's Marc J. Spears.

"Let's say Ben has a great season, regardless of what the Kings do? That he plays well. I don't know if his sister would want me to share this...but she told me the one that's interesting, that's great about Ben for Sacramento, is that he's a pretty loyal guy," Spears told Sactown Sports' The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross. "And if they gave him the opportunity and he does well, and they want him back, and it's fair, I think he'd wanna stay.

"Another thing he likes about Sacramento is when you play in, he's never played in a—people like to pick on the smaller markets—but sometimes, that's a safer haven, right?"

Per Spears, Simmons took the 2025-26 season off to "rehabilitate lingering back and leg injuries."

Simmons also hit the water during his time away, buying a 50 percent stake in the South Florida Sails angling club.

"I needed to get away, and have some space, and just find myself again," Simmons told Clay Skipper of Men's Health in a lengthy June profile.

However, Simmons checked off all the boxes during the Kings' vetting process, which included a workout, a medical exam and meetings with team brass.

Now he's aboard and will serve as the backup point guard to Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 overall pick in the NBA draft. However, he's also expected to play all five positions, per Spears.

Simmons was a three-time All-Star during his four NBA seasons on the court with the Philadelphia 76ers (2017-18 to 2020-2021). However, he's played just 108 games since the end of that 2020-21 campaign as a series of injuries have sidelined him for long stretches of time.

Simmons last played in 2024-25 with the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets, averaging 5.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds over 22.0 minutes per contest in 51 games (24 starts). However, as Simmons told Skipper, he was dealing with serious issues in that season as well.

"Because Simmons's injury involved nerves, he often had shooting pain in his glute and down his leg," Skipper wrote. "He says he felt so fragile that oftentimes he had to change how he breathed."

"People have no idea," Simmons said. "I couldn't walk around."

Now he's in much better shape and has a great opportunity in Sacramento, where he'll assuredly get ample chances to make an impact on a rebuilding team.