Apparently, Ben Simmons is done fishing and is ready to return to professional basketball. There remain a lot of question marks around him, which is why the Sacramento Kings need to avoid him at the moment. But if Simmons is up to the challenge, he might be an excellent addition to the team.
There's no doubt that Simmons' story is one of the roughest in the modern NBA. Back in 2016, the 76ers selected him number one overall in the draft. He was a great pick. Simmons ended up winning the 2017 Rookie of the Year award. His career was going fine until it started to unravel in 2021.
A bad decision in the playoffs created serious friction between Simmons and both the franchise and its fan base. He then sat out the first part of the 2021-2022 season while forcing a trade. After that, his career was completely derailed by back injuries, falling confidence, and more bad decisions.
Simmons finally walked away from basketball to rehab his mind and body, missing the entire 2025-2026 season. He spent a good chunk of that time as a competitive fisherman, and actually did pretty well. Now, he's planning his NBA return and is garnering significant interest from a number of teams.
Simmons on the Kings isn't possible right now
While it's understandable why there's interest in Simmons, that can't include the Kings right now. Their salary cap issues would prevent them from making him a serious offer of any kind. Simply put, Sacramento cannot afford to add Simmons, regardless of what he's asking for.
It also doesn't make sense right now. Simmons might feel ready to return to the NBA, but the proof is in the pudding. Yes, that's an actual saying. When fans last saw Simmons, he was constantly injured. And when he was on the court, he was a total train wreck. It was a bad scene overall.
Everyone wants a returning Simmons to be at the top of his game, but there's still a significant chance that some of those old issues remain. The Kings can't take that chance at this point in the rebuild. If Simmons doesn't work out, it would be a huge setback for the entire process.
Simmons is currently practicing with Australia's national team while discussing his return with several NBA franchises. While he's too risky and likely unaffordable for the Kings right now, hopefully he finds a spot and his comeback is legit. It would be a nice end to Simmons' story.
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