Ben Simmons Returns to NBA with Sacramento Kings
Ben Simmons is back in the NBA.
The Australian guard-forward has agreed a one-year deal with the Sacramento Kings worth $3.5 million (approximately $4.8 million AUD), according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. The move returns the former No. 1 overall pick to the league for what will be his 10th season, after he sat out the entire 2025-26 campaign.
Charania broke the news on X, reporting that Simmons’ agents Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney confirmed the agreement, which brings a three-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA selection into a Kings team looking for another jolt of playmaking and size on the perimeter.
A careful courtship in Sacramento
This was not a casual signing. Sacramento put Simmons through a thorough process before committing.
He traveled to California’s capital on Monday, where he underwent extensive medical testing, an on-court workout and meetings with head coach Doug Christie and other members of the organization. Earlier, in late August, Simmons had also worked out for general manager Scott Perry and sat down with him for an hour-long meeting.
The Kings wanted to see how his body responded. They wanted to look him in the eye.
By all internal accounts from Sacramento, as well as from Team Australia — where Simmons joined a players-only minicamp last month — the 30-year-old has looked strong and felt healthy. For a player whose career has been repeatedly stalled by physical setbacks, that assessment matters as much as the contract figure.
A career at a crossroads
Simmons last played in the league with the Los Angeles Clippers in early 2025. Before that, his résumé had already been etched with major accolades: No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, NBA Rookie of the Year, three-time All-Star, All-NBA honors, and a reputation as one of the most versatile defenders in the game at his peak.
Now comes the hard part: turning a one-year flyer into a genuine rebirth.
Sacramento is betting that a motivated, healthy Simmons can still impact winning — as a ball-handler, a defender, a connector. Simmons is betting that this stop can reset his narrative and extend a career that once looked destined for superstardom.
The deal is done. The medicals are in. The door is open.
What Simmons does with this 10th season will decide how the rest of his story is told.
