Ben Simmons needed a team, any NBA team, willing to give him one more chance.
The Sacramento Kings needed a player, any player, to fill out a 2026-27 roster that, until Sept. 4, had not added a free agent from outside the organization this offseason.
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In that way, the Kings always made sense as the landing spot for Simmons’ NBA comeback attempt. Only a team searching for answers would think the 2016 No. 1 pick can still provide value after sitting out last season and dabbling in professional fishing. Only a desperate veteran would volunteer to join the current salary cap woes and lack of direction the Kings are enduring under current owner Vivek Ranadivé.
Simmons signed with the Kings on Friday, Sept. 4, according to multiple reports. This will be his 10th NBA season, but only his eighth playing in games as injuries and contract issues cost him two full seasons.
Here’s why Simmons could revive his NBA career in Sacramento and why it still might not work:
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Founder and Managing Partner of the venture capital firm Thrive Capital, Joshua Kushner, speaks during the Hill & Valley Forum at the US Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium in Washington, DC, on April 30, 2025. The Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most successful teams in NBA history, are being sold to former Disney CEO Bob Iger and investor Joshua Kushner in a deal valued at a reported $12.5 billion. The sale announced on August 12, 2026 would mark a record-breaking valuation for a North American sports franchise and comes only about a year after billionaire Mark Walter agreed to buy a controlling interest in the team in a then-record $10 billion deal.
(BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP via Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Founder and Managing Partner of the venture capital firm Thrive Capital, Joshua Kushner, speaks during the Hill & Valley Forum at the US Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium in Washington, DC, on April 30, 2025. The Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most successful teams in NBA history, are being sold to former Disney CEO Bob Iger and investor Joshua Kushner in a deal valued at a reported $12.5 billion. The sale announced on August 12, 2026 would mark a record-breaking valuation for a North American sports franchise and comes only about a year after billionaire Mark Walter agreed to buy a controlling interest in the team in a then-record $10 billion deal.
(BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP via Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Oscar CEO Mario Schlosser (left) and co-founder Joshua Kushner want to leverage technology to make health care insurance as easy to interactive with as an e-commerce site. Joshua is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Trump.
(Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Joshua Kushner and Karlie Kloss attend The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. They married in 2018 and have three children, sons Levi and Elijah and a daughter, Rae.
(Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Joshua Kushner and Karlie Kloss attend The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2023 in New York City.
(Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Karlie Kloss, CEO of Bedford Media and Joshua Kushner, Founder and CEO of Thrive Capital at Fortune Global Forum Gala Dinner celebrating Fortune’s 100 Most Powerful People in Business list during the Fortune Global Forum on Nov. 11, 2024 in New York City.
(Jemal Countess, Getty Images for Fortune Media)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Joshua Kushner, Founder and CEO, Thrive Capital, speaks onstage during the Big Bets panel at the Fortune Global Forum 2024 on Nov. 12, 2024 in New York City.
(Jemal Countess, Getty Images for Fortune Media)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Founder and Managing Partner of the venture capital firm Thrive Capital, Joshua Kushner, speaks during the Hill & Valley Forum at the US Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium in Washington, DC, on April 30, 2025.
(BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AFP via Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Commissioner of the NBA Adam Silver, Joshua Kushner and CEO of Disney Bob Iger attend the Men’s Quarterfinal match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Taylor Fritz of the United States on Day Ten of the 2025 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sept. 2, 2025 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.
(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner attend the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
(Neilson Barnard, Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner attend the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026 in New York City.
(Julian Hamilton, Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Joshua Kushner attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026 in New York City.
(Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Josh Kushner, founder and CEO of Thrive Capital, and his wife Karlie Kloss attend the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference at the Sun Valley Lodge on July 7, 2026 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every year, some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful figures from the media, finance, technology, and political spheres converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive week-long conference hosted by boutique investment bank Allen & Co.
(Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Josh Kushner, founder and CEO of Thrive Capital, and his wife Karlie Kloss attend the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference at the Sun Valley Lodge on July 8, 2026 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every year, some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful figures from the media, finance, technology, and political spheres converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive week-long conference hosted by boutique investment bank Allen & Co.
(Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Josh Kushner, founder and CEO of Thrive Capital, and Lee Styslinger, co-owner of Altec, Inc., attend the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference at the Sun Valley Lodge on July , 2026 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every year, some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful figures from the media, finance, technology, and political spheres converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive week-long conference hosted by boutique investment bank Allen & Co.
(Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images)
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Joshua Kushner makes a bold move from investor to NBA owner
Founder and CEO of Thrive Capital Josh Kushner attends the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference at the Sun Valley Lodge on July 10, 2026 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every year, some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful figures from the media, finance, technology, and political spheres converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive week-long conference hosted by boutique investment bank Allen & Co.
(Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images)
NBA: Amen Thompson gets huge contract extension with Rockets
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Ben Simmons contract details
Simmons is signing a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Kings, according to ESPN.
How Ben Simmons fits with the Kings
The Kings were one of the worst teams in the NBA last season because of their awkward roster. Sacramento has an odd mix of expensive veterans and overlapping young players with not enough salary cap space or positive assets to maneuver much from their current situation. But the version of Simmons that played in Brooklyn could help the Kings because of his defensive versatility.
The Kings have front court players like Domantas Sabonis and Maxime Raynaud with defensive limitations who could, in theory, benefit from being paired with Simmons for stretches on the court. They also have personnel suited for the up tempo style that suits Simmons’ point-forward tendencies. He can leverage his strengths as a ball-handler and transition playmaker in relief of 2026 first-round pick Darius Acuff Jr. because the Kings don’t need Simmons to be a primary offensive option.
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If Simmons returns as something resembling the player who was twice named to the NBA’s all-defensive team, the 6-foot-10 forward would become a useful role player even if his lack of outside shooting is a liability.
Sacramento Kings roster update after Ben Simmons signing
*2026 NBA Draft pick**2-way player
Ben Simmons injury history
Simmons’ health has been an issue since he entered the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers and sat out his first season with a foot injury. He also sat out the entire 2021-22 NBA campaign due to a back injury and contract dispute. The 2024-25 season was the only campaign since then in which Simmons appeared in more than 50 games, as back and knee injuries repeatedly limited his availability.
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Why Ben Simmons’ shooting remains a concern
Though Simmons twice averaged more than 16 points per game early in his career with the 76ers, he is a notoriously poor (and hesitant) shooter from outside the paint. He’s just 5 for 36 over seven seasons from 3-point range and his reluctance to shoot the ball when teams back off him defensively became a problem during Philadelphia’s postseason runs. He shot a career-worst 52% from the floor on a career-low 4.4 attempts per game during his most recent NBA season with the Nets and Los Angeles Clippers in 2024-25.
Ben Simmons stats
Simmons has career averages of 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game over seven seasons. When he last played in the NBA over 51 combined games for the Nets and Los Angeles Clippers during the 2024-25 season, Simmons set career lows by averaging 5 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
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Simmons is a three-time NBA All-Star who won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018 and earned third team all-NBA honors for the 2019-20 season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Ben Simmons, Sacramento Kings are exactly what each other need
