Ben Simmons ‘Excited’ To Resume NBA Career With Kings

Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s Andscape, one of the reporters who broke the news, suggested Simmons would be open to a multiyear stay in Sacramento if things go well in 2026/27.

Appearing on Sactown Sports 1140’s The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross, Spears shed a little more light on why the Kings decided to sign Simmons and why the 30-year-old was interested in joining Sacramento, as Frankie Cartocelli of Sactown Sports relays.

Spears hears Simmons played “extremely well” against several NBA players during an Australian senior national team minicamp last month. Evidently that performance caught the team’s attention.

“Once he played well in that camp in Australia, that’s when I think (Kings general manager) Scott Perry got really interested,” Spears said.

According to Spears, Perry traveled to Miami in late August to meet with Simmons and watch him in a private workout, then Simmons flew to the Bay Area last week to work out in Sacramento.

Spears, who has spent extended time around Simmons over the past year for an unrelated project he’s been working on, said head coach Doug Christie was impressed with Simmons’ performance in that workout in front of the team. He added that Simmons is excited to be in a more low-key environment after previously playing exclusively for big-market franchises.

“Within minutes, Doug Christie was like, ‘I’m good. Let’s get him.’ He looked great,’” Spears said. “… (Simmons is) really, really happy, and proud, and excited to be a Sacramento King.”

David Patrick, Simmons’ godfather and former head coach at LSU, joined Matt George and Kayla Anderson of Sactown Sports to discuss Simmons’ NBA return, Cartocelli writes.

Patrick, who’s an assistant with the Australian national team and at Arizona State, said Simmons appears to be past his back injuries — he underwent surgeries in May 2022 and March 2024 — and has regained both his confidence and his athleticism.

“For me, over the last probably three months, that swagger, that confidence that he once had, was back,” Patrick said. “… I felt he was back to where he was athletically and mentally from his times at Philly when he was a three-time All-Star.”

While there has been a perception from the outside that Simmons might be the backup point guard behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr., Patrick said Christie told Simmons to “come in and be himself” and suggested he’ll have a chance to earn a starting role.