With Ben Simmons officially signed to the Sacramento Kings, the question now is how he fits into the rotation. He's obviously going to be the backup point guard for Darius Acuff Jr. Beyond that, the Kings shouldn't and won't take minutes away from other players in need of development for him.
It's safe to say that not everyone is happy about the Kings signing Simmons. He unfortunately has a long history of injuries and attitude issues, not to mention that he completely lost his game at one point. Fortunately, Sacramento was smart enough to sign him to a one-year contract.
The whole reason they brought Simmons back to the NBA was to back up their rookie point guard, as well as hopefully being at least somewhat of a veteran mentor to Acuff. After him, the only other legit support they have at the one are Malik Monk and Adam Flagler, who are primarily shooting guards.
ESPN's projected depth chart has Simmons as the third-string point guard and the third-string small forward. That makes no sense, as he should be the second-string PG right behind Acuff and the fifth-string at any other position. The goal here is not to rehab Simmons's career. It's a Kings' rebuild.
Sacramento's stakes are more than one veteran player
Giving Simmons bigger minutes at point guard makes sense. Being the second-string at that position is the entire reason they signed him. Having Simmons pick up minutes at any other position does absolutely nothing for the Kings except set back the development of young players.
Using small forward as an example, the Kings' most likely starter is De'Andre Hunter. After that, the second-string for now is Nique Clifford, which is the right call. It's unlikely that Hunter will still be a King after the end of the 2026-2027 season. Someone like Clifford or Alex Karaban will replace him.
As such, putting Simmons in as the third-string over Karaban would be incredibly short-sighted on the part of the Kings. It would set Karaban's development back incredibly, which would be surprising considering how hard Scott Perry worked to draft him. The Kings won't put that time into Simmons.
The contract the Kings signed with Simmons is only for the upcoming season. A lot has to go right for a longer-term commitment to be on the table, and that kind of deal cannot be at the expense of the development of Sacramento's rookies and sophomores. The future of the Kings has to come first.
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