The teams pushing to sign Ben Simmons after All-Star’s drop-off
Simmons was the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NBA Draft and former Rookie of the Year but he now finds himself in free agency.
The past few years have been a real drop-off for Ben Simmons as the one-time NBA Rookie of the Year now finds himself without a team late into free agency.
Simmons, who turned 29 last weekend, played for both the New York Nets and the LA Clippers last season but neither appeared eager to extend his deal. The $170 million, five-year contract extension signed in 2019 is now a distant memory and Simmons is in need of a landing spot to re-start his NBA career.
Fortunately, a player of his natural talent is always likely to have suitors and there are a number of teams that could be interested in a deal. CBS Sports reports that the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks are all interested in Simmons, most likely as a depth piece at point guard.
Of those potential landing spots, the prospect of a move to the Celtic is perhaps the most intriguing. Simmons was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and he developed into a star with the team, winning three consecutive All-Star nods. Moving to rivals Boston would seem like a brave choice for a player who may be low on confidence but there is a certain logic to it.
His size - 6ft 10in, 240lbs - would certainly appeal and he boasts a pretty unique set of skills, as a passer, defender and rebounder. Simmons can operate as either a point guard or a power forward and he could be tasked with taking some of the minutes from Jayson Tatum, who is set to miss a significant proportion of the 2025/26 season due to injury.
Tatum suffered an Achilles tear during the Eastern Conference semi-finals and underwent surgery soon after. Sports Illustrated reports that the typical recovery time for NBA players is around 10 months, meaning that Tatum is unlikely to be back on the court until the new year.
Simmons’ arrival, on a short-term deal, would allow the Celtics to bolster their roster with an experienced player on a fairly low-risk contract. However it remains to be seen if there is still an elite-level player in Simmons after so much uncertainty in recent years.
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