Kings beat out two NBA teams to sign Ben Simmons

NBA free agency has cooled down, but the Sacramento Kings made a bit of a surprising move on Friday. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Kings agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with former No. 1 pick Ben Simmons. 

Simmons missed the entire 2025-26 NBA season after playing the 2024-25 campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers. Simmons spent the offseason working towards an NBA comeback, with reports saying he "looked fantastic" during his workouts. 

While the Kings crossed the finish line and agreed to a deal with Simmons, two other NBA teams also showed interest: The Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. 

And so the latest Simmons experiment begins — again. The Kings weren’t the only team considering Simmons, as league sources say the Knicks and Warriors were also in the mix.

Those are certainly two big teams that pursued Simmons, and it shows how good his workouts must've been if the reigning NBA champion Knicks were "in the mix." 

The Kings saw Russell Westbrook retire this summer, and although they selected Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr., there figures to be a role for Simmons in Sacramento. 

Amick also mentioned that the Kings considered signing Victor Oladipo before ultimately bringing in Simmons, and the former Miami Heat star is also working on an NBA comeback. 

Nonetheless, it's Ben Simmons' time in Sacramento.