According to Sactown Sport, Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry is in Florida to watch Simmons work out. The GM wants to find out whether the three-time All-Star could be a serious option to support rookie Darius Acuff Jr. at point guard.
Acuff Jr. is set to become the face of Sacramento's new era. The Kings finished last season with just 22 wins and 60 defeats, then took the 19-year-old with the seventh pick in this year's draft.
Simmons last played an NBA game in April 2025 for the Los Angeles Clippers. He sat out the entire past season in order, according to one of his coaches, to get back into shape and fully recover from the many injuries of his NBA career. Right now, though, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer, no team is willing to offer Simmons a guaranteed contract. An NBA return has not been ruled out. The Denver Nuggets also offered Lonnie Walker IV only a non-guaranteed contract for training camp.
Getty ImagesBen Simmons suffers a dramatic decline in the NBA: from All-Star to journeyman
Simmons, now 30, has suffered an almost unprecedented decline in recent years. After six mostly successful years with the Philadelphia 76ers, when he was named Rookie of the Year, made three All-Star teams, two All-Defensive Teams and one All-NBA Third Team, his star began to fade slowly but steadily.
At the Brooklyn Nets, injuries repeatedly held him back and even sparked speculation about an early retirement. In February 2025, he became a free agent after a buyout and then joined the Clippers. A few months after leaving L.A., he at least generated positive headlines as a professional angler during his "sabbatical". In May, he won the Walker's Cay Open Cup of the Sport Fishing Championship with his team.
Back in mid-August, NBA insider Marc Spears had already reported that several teams had registered their interest in signing the first overall pick of the 2016 draft on a veteran minimum deal. Spears specifically mentioned a team from the Western Conference, which would apply to the Kings.
A few weeks ago, Simmons himself signalled that he is targeting a comeback on the professional basketball stage by sharing a cryptic Instagram post. "I wouldn't change the story. The highs, the lows, the pain, the time, the lessons. I embrace all of it. Every chapter has built something in me that I couldn't have built any other way. Grateful for the path I've taken. Proud of where I stand. Ready for whatever comes next," he wrote alongside a picture showing him in a celebratory pose during training.