Ben Simmons is officially making his NBA return after sitting out the 2025-26 season. The three-time All-Star signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, ESPN's Shams Charania and Marc Spears reported Friday.
Of course, the league hasn't seen that All-Star version of Simmons in quite some time now, with his last selection coming in 2021. Perhaps the gap year spent fishing, and the fresh start with the Kings, will get his career back on track?
Ben Simmons looks to turn his career around with the Sacramento Kings
The odds of that being the case are slim, but it's a great fit because neither the Kings nor Simmons have anything to lose at this point. Might as well see if that non-zero chance at a career resurrection is the timeline that plays out.
In The Avengers, Doctor Strange foresaw that there was only one out of 14,000,605 possible timelines in which they take down Thanos. It has to be better odds than that, right? The Kings are taking on a low risk in finding out if they're on that timeline.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, they weren't the only team to express interest in being part of Simmons' comeback, either. The New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors were teams Amick named as "in the mix." Spears also mentioned the Minnesota Timberwolves as a team that expressed interest.
Unfortunately, the Portland Trail Blazers weren't included in that group. It's somewhat surprising, seeing as Simmons is the perfect reclamation project to align with new owner Tom Dundon's approach of buying low on distressed assets.
Simmons is a reclamation project that fits Tom Dundon's blueprint
Dundon successfully used that approach to turn around the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, even recently winning the Stanley Cup thanks to the hands-on role he's played since taking over the franchise in 2018.
For better or worse, he's taken a similar approach to the NBA. While that's rubbed many the wrong way for several reasons, Blazers fans are at least hoping Dundon's winning ways translate to Portland.
The first example of that approach was the Blazers' acquisition of polarizing star Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies. The fact that Portland surrendered Jerami Grant and Kris Murray without having to attach any draft capital shows how low Morant's trade value was around the league.
Portland is willing to overlook the wonky roster fit in terms of the backcourt logjam, lackluster defense, and most importantly, poor floor spacing, because they viewed it as too good a value to pass up.
Morant returning to All-Star form is far more likely than Simmons, and if Portland hits on that reclamation project, they suddenly have their point guard of the future solidified going forward.
To a lesser extent, however, the same reasons Portland brought in Morant could apply to Simmons. Maybe he never becomes an All-Star again, but it's also far less financial risk compared to the $87 million the Blazers owe Morant combined over the next two years.
There's a chance the crowded backcourt in Portland would've deterred Simmons from coming anyway. He has a far clearer path to minutes in Sacramento, especially with Russell Westbrook picking retirement over a Kings return.
At the very least, the Blazers should've been among the other teams to express interest. Simmons would've been another talented reclamation project for Portland to add to the mix this season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google