Everyone who is even remotely aware of the NBA seems to be evenly split on the Sacramento Kings signing the returning Ben Simmons. In reality, it's not that big of a deal. Simmons honestly doesn't have to do all that much for his return to be a success and for Scott Perry to be proven right.
Anyone who was watching basketball when Simmons was supposed to debut remembers how big his hype train was. Frankly, that hype was well-deserved. Simmons was an impressive player who was as talented as he was versatile. At full steam, he was one of the best point guards in the league.
The key words in that previous paragraph were "supposed to." Simmons missed the entirety of what was intended to be his debut season due to injury. That turned out to be an ill portent of things to come as Simmons ended up missing a lot of his first run in the league due to endless injuries.
After taking a year away from the league to heal his mind and soul as well as his body, Simmons will be a King when 2026-2027 begins. Really, returning with Sacramento makes sense for both sides. The stakes are low for him and the team this season, letting him ease back into pro basketball.
Simmons on the Kings keeps making more and more sense
While people like Richard Jefferson are talking about Simmons on an All-Star team already, that's putting too much pressure on him. All Simmons really has to do is stay healthy, play most of the season, and give rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. 10 to 15 minutes off the court each game.
The best part of being on the Kings for Simmons is the lack of pressure. Even if he has a bad season, he's not going to cost them a playoff berth or a shot at a championship. Long before Simmons was signed, most projections had the Kings in the bottom five teams, if not dead last.
There is another potential outcome to Simmons' return. He could actually stay healthy and do well, becoming a longer-term part of the Kings' rebuild. In that case, both Sacramento and their general manager look like geniuses for being the ones to bring Simmons back to the NBA.
What matters at this point is that Simmons is signed to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million that is partially subsidized by the league. For this return to be a success, he just has to stay in the game. And if that doesn't happen for some reason, it's not the end of the road for him or the Kings.
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