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Back in February 2022, Ben Simmons was traded to the Brooklyn Nets so the Philadelphia 76ers could acquire James Harden. Three years later, Simmons and Harden are now teammates with the Los Angeles Clippers.
After he agreed to a contract buyout with the Nets, Simmons decided to join the Clippers on a veteran minimum deal. This allowed him to team up with both Harden and two-way star Kawhi Leonard.
In his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Simmons expressed his excitement about signing with the Clippers and playing alongside Harden, noting that it's "gonna be great," according to SI's Joey Linn.
The three-time All-Star also expressed his belief that the everyone in the Clippers "is gonna push each other to be better and expect greatness."
As for Harden, it appears the 2018 NBA MVP is equally excited to pair up with Simmons and see how he can impact the Clippers. According to him, Simmons brings a certain set of skills that can be beneficial for L.A.
"I’m excited, man," Harden said of Simmons, per Linn. "Ben brings a skillset that other than myself, I feel like we don’t have. His passing ability, his speed, being able to push the ball up and get guys in the offense."
The 11-time All-Star is also confident that Simmons "can still get after it" defensively. It's worth noting that Simmons was an NBA All-Defensive First Team member not too long ago. In fact, he achieved the recognition twice (2019-20 and 2020-21) in his career.
James Harden on Ben Simmons:
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 13, 2025
“I’m excited, man. Ben brings a skillset that other than myself, I feel like we don’t have. His passing ability, his speed, being able to push the ball up and get guys in the offense. And defensively he can still get after it. I’m excited to add him… pic.twitter.com/vMloKhqg8w
One of the biggest concerns for Simmons is his health. In the previous two seasons, he has played in just 57 out of the possible 164 games, with back issues largely preventing him from staying on the court.
This 2024-25 campaign, he has played 33 games for the Nets and started in 24, averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists.
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- Youth movement: Five new players who should be part of Team USA basketball's future
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Youth movement: Five new players who should be part of Team USA basketball's future
A veteran-heavy USA Basketball squad took home a gold medal last summer in Paris. But their two biggest stars won't be returning. LeBron James and Steph Curry made it clear on the newest episode of "Mind The Game," James' podcast, that they wouldn't be part of Team USA in 2028. That leaves two big pairs of shoes to fill. In addition, the oft-injured Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis are unlikely to be back, Kevin Durant will be 39 in the summer of 2028, Jrue Holiday will be 38 and the national team will get younger. Here are five new players who should be part of Team USA going forward. 1. Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets There's always a spot on Team USA for a hard-nosed perimeter defender, and Amen Thompson is one of the toughest defenders in the NBA. He finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season and has upped his assists to 5.2 per game, making him the ideal player to slide into Holiday's stopper/ball handler role. Plus, Thompson is still only 22, which means he has plenty of international basketball ahead of him. And if Team USA needs another elite defender, he's got a connection with one on the Detroit Pistons — his brother Ausar Thompson. The only danger is if the Thompson twins decide to play for Jamaica instead. 2. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons Cade Cunningham, 24, has experience with USA Basketball, winning a gold medal in 2019 at the FIBA U19 championships and leading the USA Select team to scrimmage upsets against the 2023 FIBA Cup team. He only turned down joining the main team because he was recovering from shin surgery. Now he's firmly established as an NBA star, averaging 27.5 points and 9.9 assists for the first-place Detroit Pistons. Not only is he scoring an distributing the ball at an elite level, Cunningham has excellent size at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds for the more physical international game. 3. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder Team USA needs a rim protector, and they'd love to have one who can stretch the floor like Chet Holmgren. The 23-year-old is shooting 40.4 percent from three-point range this season and 59.1 percent overall while anchoring the NBA's No. 1 defense. Holmgren may not be best suited to banging with some of the huge big men he'd face in the Olympics, like Nikola Jokic and Alperen Sengun, but the threat of his shooting can draw these big men out of the paint and create driving lanes. Plus, he has three years to bulk up before the Los Angeles Olympics. 4. Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has turned into a legitimate three-point threat this season, sinking 1.7 threes per game, while remaining one of the NBA's best defenders. While Holmgren is more of a shot-blocker and rim protector, Evan Mobley, 24, has the speed and mobility to guard smaller players out on the perimeter, and the height and wingspan to bother big men. In addition, Mobley attended college at USC and high school in famed fight capital Temecula, so he'll be an excellent local choice. 5. Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder Jalen Williams, 24, is a bulldog defender who showed he can also be an elite big-game scorer during the Thunder's run to the title. Team USA plays best when they can pressure opposing teams defensively, and Williams has been great with that approach for OKC. Honorable mentions Cooper Flagg (18), Dallas Mavericks Stephon Castle (21) and Dylan Harper (19), San Antonio Spurs Kon Knueppel (20), Charlotte Hornets Darryn Peterson (18), Kansas Jayhawks
Steelers work out two QBs amid Aaron Rodgers injury
With Aaron Rodgers dealing with a left wrist injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers worked out veteran quarterbacks Jason Bean and Tanner Mordecai on Tuesday, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The Steelers currently have three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster and zero on their practice squad. Backup Mason Rudolph, and third-stringer Will Howard will both move up a spot on the depth chart for at least a week, leaving the Steelers without a third option should either of them get injured. Bean, 26, signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Kansas in 2024. He did not make the 53-man roster, but stuck around on the practice squad for the entire season. He was waived during final roster cuts this year and did not draw practice squad interest from the Colts or any other team. Mordecai is also a 26-year-old who entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2024. Mordecai finished his college career at Wisconsin and signed with the 49ers last spring. He spent the season on San Francisco’s practice squad and was repeatedly cut and re-signed during training camp as the team balanced their other roster needs. He was waived due to injury a final time during roster cuts. The Steelers did not sign Bean or Mordecai, though that could be coming in the next few days as they continue to assess Rodgers’ wrist. They could also work out other available quarterbacks later this week.
CFP rankings: SEC in great shape after third reveal
The third College Football Playoff rankings of the 2025 season were released on Tuesday night with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A M, Georgia and Texas Tech making up the top five. The Bulldogs and Red Raiders each move up one spot with Alabama falling down to 10th after a 23-21 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. Ole Miss, Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama round out the top 10. The Big Ten and SEC continue their dominance by claiming eight of the top-10 spots, but the SEC looks to be in the best position of any league with five teams in the top 10, even with Alabama's second loss of the season. Alabama clings to playoff spot as SEC's outlook only grows stronger Here is a look at what the 12-team bracket would look like as of Tuesday: The biggest takeaway from this week's rankings is the position the SEC finds itself in. Texas A M, Georgia and Ole Miss appear to be in excellent shape, while Oklahoma and Alabama still find themselves in the projected field. Texas was the biggest loser, falling seven spots to No. 17 after its loss to Georgia. Even for Alabama, which suffered its second loss on Saturday, it could still find itself in the SEC Championship game depending on how everything plays out over the final two weeks, which could only strengthen its case even more. Miami remains the highest-ranked ACC team at No. 13, ahead of No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 19 Virginia. With the five highest-ranked conference champions guaranteed to make the 12-team field, Miami would inherit the 11-seed as things currently stand. Following South Florida's loss to Navy, Tulane moves up to No. 24 and the 12th-seed as the highest-ranked Group of Five team. No. 11 BYU would be the first team out following the third reveal. There are two ranked matchups this weekend as No. 8 Oklahoma hosts No. 22 Missouri and No. 15 USC takes on No. 7 Oregon. With only two weeks of regular-season play remaining, time is running out to add quality wins to resumes, something each of these two games will certainly do. Assuming there are no more hiccups, the SEC has a realistic shot at getting five teams in the field. Week 12 presented an opportunity for other teams to move up, but after Texas A M completed its remarkable comeback over South Carolina and with Alabama remaining in the top 10, that does not bode well for the rest of the field.
What Could Possibly Stop Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Roddick? Andy Roddick Has a Theory
In the ever-shifting landscape of men’s tennis, two names have cemented themselves at the peak: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Their rivalry has become the stuff of legend, a seemingly endless chess match where each player adapts and counters with frightening speed. But according to former World No. 1 Andy Roddick, their dominance isn’t just about blistering forehands or impossible gets. It’s about something far more unusual in the hyper-competitive world of professional sports: brutal, public honesty. Roddick, never one to mince words on his Served with Andy Roddick podcast, pointed out a shared trait between the two young titans that he finds frankly astonishing. It’s a level of self-awareness and vocal admission of weakness that Roddick admits he, and most of his peers, never possessed. Roddick: Alcaraz and Sinner’s Honesty is “Insane” Let’s be real, top athletes are usually masters of the non-answer. They’re trained to project confidence, to never show a crack in the armor. But Alcaraz and Sinner? They’re tearing up the playbook. Roddick highlighted a moment after Alcaraz lost to Jack Draper at Indian Wells. Instead of trotting out tired cliches, Alcaraz was disarmingly candid. “He walks in, he goes, ‘I’m trying to find it, I’m insecure, I was nervous’,” Roddick recounted, almost in disbelief. “I don’t know if we’ve ever had two guys be as honest about their deficiencies when the rest of the world doesn’t see any.” He then turned his attention to Sinner, who, after a stellar season that included a Wimbledon title, offered a similarly stunning post-mortem following his US Open defeat. “Sinner goes in… fresh off winning Wimbledon, not really losing to anyone not named Carlos… He walks in and goes, ‘I need to change a lot.’” For Roddick, this is what separates them from the pack. It’s not just talent; it’s a cold, hard assessment of their own game, even at the pinnacle of success. “That is an insane amount of self-awareness, and certainly an amount of self-awareness that I never had,” Roddick confessed. “To know that you’re, if not the best in the world, one of two, and to walk in straight after the US Open and have that clarity of what comes next, that’s not a normal thing.” Roddick’s Theory When you’re nitpicking players as dominant as Alcaraz and Sinner, you have to look beyond their opponents. According to Roddick, their biggest challenge might not be another player at all, but something far more elemental: the blistering Australian heat. “If you get on the wrong side of that heat in Australia, I think Sinner has shown that, if anything, the heat can get to him a touch,” Roddick explained, pointing to Sinner’s history with cramps in hot conditions. He didn’t let Alcaraz off the hook either, recalling the Spaniard’s full-body cramps during the French Open. “I think the single biggest factor is going to be conditions. If they get one of those days where they feel like they’re playing in a hair dryer, I think that is going to be the biggest thing, maybe not necessarily matchups.” It’s a refreshingly honest take. When two players are this good, maybe the only thing that can level the playing field is Mother Nature turning up the thermostat to “unbearable.” The Never-Ending Rivalry Chris Eubanks, a recent guest on Roddick’s show, chimed in, marveling at the back-and-forth nature of the Alcaraz-Sinner saga. One moment, Sinner is steamrolling the competition, the next, Alcaraz finds a way to claw back a victory. They trade blows like heavyweight boxers, learning from each loss and returning stronger. “The corrections they are making and learning from each loss, they are able to flip it, find ways to get better, and then come out on top the next time, it’s remarkable,” Eubanks said. This constant evolution, fueled by an almost pathological need to improve, is what makes their rivalry so compelling. They aren’t just playing matches; they are engaged in a high-speed, public game of self-improvement. While Roddick may have been impressed by their honesty, it’s this relentless drive to patch up those self-identified “deficiencies” that truly keeps them a step ahead of everyone else. And honestly, we can’t wait to see the next chapter.
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