SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ben Simmons will return to the NBA after missing last season with injuries, agreeing to a one-year contract with the Sacramento Kings, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The person confirmed the agreement on condition of anonymity because the Kings had not announced the signing. ESPN reported that Simmons will receive $3.5 million.
The 30-year-old Australian missed the 2025-26 season while dealing with back and leg injuries. He last played for the Los Angeles Clippers after ending the 2024-25 season in a reserve role.
Sacramento finished 22-60 last season and is rebuilding around rookie Darius Acuff Jr., whom the Kings selected seventh overall after his freshman season at Arkansas.
The Kings sought veteran help after waiving DeMar DeRozan and declining to bring back Russell Westbrook. The two veterans led Sacramento in scoring last season.
Sacramento expects Simmons to provide defensive versatility and serve as a backup point guard for Acuff. He can also play multiple positions.
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Simmons first overall in the 2016 NBA draft after he played one season at LSU. He missed his first professional season with a foot injury before emerging as an All-Star.
Simmons won Rookie of the Year in 2017-18 and earned All-Star selections in each of the next three seasons. He also earned third-team All-NBA honors in 2019-20 and first-team All-Defensive honors in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
His career declined after he missed the 2021-22 season while dealing with mental health concerns, physical injuries and a trade request from Philadelphia.
Philadelphia traded Simmons to Brooklyn at the 2022 trade deadline, but he missed the remainder of that season with a back injury. He played 2½ seasons with the Nets before Brooklyn waived him in February 2025.
Simmons finished the 2024-25 season with the Clippers but did not play last season.
During his time with Brooklyn and Los Angeles, Simmons averaged 5.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
