The former No. 1 overall pick and three-time NBA All-Star is officially returning to the league after sitting out the entire 2025-26 season.
Simmons has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings, according to Shams Charania and Marc J. Spears.
The deal gives Simmons a chance to restart a career that once appeared headed toward superstardom.
The 30-year-old guard/forward is entering his 10th NBA season after a year away from the league. Before injuries and other setbacks derailed his trajectory, Simmons established himself as one of basketball’s most versatile young stars.
He was selected No. 1 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, earned three All-Star selections, and was named All-NBA Third Team in 2020-21.
Now, Sacramento is betting that there is still something left in the tank.
Can Ben Simmons Finally Get His Career Back on Track?
That’s the biggest question surrounding this deal.
Simmons has not played a full 82-game season since 2018-19, and his NBA career has taken a dramatic turn since his All-NBA season.
But the Kings are giving him an opportunity.
For Simmons, this isn’t simply another contract.
It’s another chance to prove that the player who once looked like one of the NBA’s future superstars is still in there somewhere.
A healthy and motivated Simmons could provide Sacramento with size, playmaking, defensive versatility and transition offense.
The risk is obvious.
So is the potential reward.
After spending the entire 2025-26 season away from the NBA, Ben Simmons is officially back.
And now the comeback begins.
The question isn’t whether Simmons can make it back to the NBA.
He already did.
The question is whether he can make the NBA remember just how good he once was.
