Kings GM Speaks On Ben Simmons' Health, Desire to Return

The Sacramento Kings made a late splash in free agency when they brought in Ben Simmons to help shore up their backup point guard spot, and while we'll have to wait and see if his return will live up to the hype, it's hard not to get excited about Simmons joining the Kings in his NBA return.

Scott Perry joined Carmichael Dave and Jason Ross on Sactown Sports 1140 to share that excitement and discuss his conversations with the former number one overall pick leading up to his free agent signing.

"A couple things that came out right away from him was that this is the first time [he's] been healthy in two years, and [he's] been healthy going on four to five months. And secondly, probably most importantly, obviously health being very important, not to take anything away from that, but his mental, he said I just miss playing basketball. I miss competing, I miss being part of a team. I just want to be able to contribute to a team and get back to playing basketball."

"I just miss playing basketball, I miss competing, I miss being part of a team..."

Sacramento Kings GM Scott Perry joined @CarmichaelDave & @JasonRoss1140 and shared what Ben Simmons told him about why he wanted to return to the NBA and why that conversation made an impression… pic.twitter.com/qikBBvmq9H
— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) September 25, 2026

Simmons health will be one of the Kings' biggest X-Factors heading into the season. Even at age 30, a healthy Simmons could completely change the Kings' trajectory for this year and potentially beyond. And it seems like it's not just that Simmons is physically healthy for the first time in two years, but his mental health appears to be in a better place as well.

It was an extremely difficult few years for Simmons, and Sacramento should be a soft landing spot back in the league, as compared to Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles. Simmons isn't being brought in to be the Kings' savior, as the job is clearly in Darius Acuff Jr.'s hands.

A True Opportunity

Jan 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons (10) dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

But at the same time, Simmons should have a true opportunity to get rotational minutes, and maybe even a starting spot, in Sacramento. The Kings have more wing depth than they've had in years, but there's no one in the Kings' future core that he'll be competing with for minutes. It's what made the signing so intriguing from the get-go, with little to no risk for Sacramento.

Whether that will lead to meaningful or competitive basketball is still up in the air, but if you squint enough at the Kings roster, there is a semblance of cohesion that wasn't quite there last year. It's going to take a lot of things for the Kings to shock the NBA world and put themselves in the playoff conversation, but a healthy Ben Simmons could be a huge first step in accomplishing the monster feat.

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