Ben Simmons Makes NBA Comeback with Sacramento Kings
Draymond Green has seen enough broken bodies and broken careers to know how this usually ends. Ben Simmons was supposed to be another cautionary tale. Instead, he’s walking back through an NBA door many thought had quietly closed.
Simmons, the former three-time All-Star whose career stalled under the weight of back injuries and expectation, is back on a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings. The contract is modest. The implications are not.
On the latest episode of "The Draymond Green Show," the Golden State Warriors forward made it clear: this comeback matters.
“Number one, I'm happy to see Ben Simmons back in the NBA,” Green said. “Simmons is a talent that — it doesn't grow on trees and we also don't get the opportunity to see in the NBA every day.”
That talent had been off the floor for an entire season. Simmons didn’t play at all last year and hit unrestricted free agency with more questions than suitors. He used the time to let his back heal, the same back that derailed his 2021-22 season in Philadelphia and turned a former cornerstone into a medical file.
Instead of disappearing, he went to work. Simmons held multiple workouts over the summer, grinding through the kind of sessions that don’t trend on social media but still get talked about in front offices. Sacramento watched closely. They liked the movement. They liked the engagement. They liked enough of what they saw to gamble on upside at a price that barely dents the cap.
For Green, who has battled his own physical toll across deep playoff runs, the story is as much about the mind as the body.
“The injuries aren't always nice,” he said, pointing to how back issues can strip a player not just of explosiveness, but of confidence. Green revealed he’d spoken directly with Simmons and came away struck by one thing: the excitement to simply play basketball again.
That’s not nothing. For a player who has carried as much noise as Simmons, joy might be his most important recovery.
A Different Kind of Value in Sacramento
The Kings aren’t bringing Simmons in to be a locker-room statesman in the traditional sense. This isn’t the classic “veteran leader on a minimum deal” story. Sacramento’s bet is more layered: if Simmons can get close to his old level as a 6-foot-10 playmaker, they’ve added a unique weapon. If he can’t, he still offers something vital to their future.
Draymond sees that clearly, and he put a name on it: Darius Acuff Jr.
“When I look at this signing, I think this is great for Darius Acuff,” Green said of the Kings’ No. 7 pick. “You have a Ben Simmons who's eager to make it right, he's going to give you the game. And he's going to work his ass off. I think this is great for Darius Acuff. Let's face it, Ben Simmons is Ben Simmons.”
That last line matters. Even after the missed games, the criticism, the speculation, Simmons still walks into a room as Ben Simmons — former All-NBA, former All-Star, former franchise centerpiece. Young players feel that. So do fans.
Green believes that spotlight can act as a shield for Acuff. With Simmons in the building, attention tilts toward the Australian’s comeback, not every mistake the rookie makes in his first months as a pro. In a market desperate to take the next step, that kind of cover can be priceless.
The Kings are not asking Simmons to be something he’s never been. They’re asking him to be healthy, engaged, and present — for himself and for a teenager trying to find his way in a grown-man league. If he does that while rediscovering even a portion of the versatility that once terrorized opponents, Sacramento’s quiet summer flyer could turn into one of the season’s most intriguing stories.
For now, Green is just glad the story isn’t over.
Because if Ben Simmons really is “eager to make it right,” as Draymond says, the question shifts from whether he belongs in the league to how much he can still change it.
