Ben Simmons Returning to NBA With Kings on $3.5 Million Deal Draws Jokes – “Giving Up Professional Fishing? This is Devastating News”

Ben Simmons has been working hard on his athleticism and conditioning to attempt a return after sitting out the 2025-26 season.

Ben Simmons Returning to NBA With Kings on $3.5 Million Deal Draws Jokes – “Giving Up Professional Fishing? This is Devastating News”

Ben Simmons returning to NBA (Image via Hoop Central/X)

It has been some time coming for Ben Simmons to get another chance to return to the NBA. After missing out on a contract option last season, many felt that he would never get another option.

His time with the Los Angeles Clippers was not exactly exciting, and many felt that he was a lost cause, considering the prodigious talent he possessed.

While the Australian will point to his battle with injuries and lack of support from some teams, there is no doubt that fans do not think of him as someone who had his head in the game.

Analysts went a step further and suggested that he was an embarrassment that the NBA could do without. Some players even asked the FBI to investigate the theft he committed by swindling teams out of millions of dollars and never playing.

However, in this offseason, the 30-year-old started posting workout videos again, with the hope that some team would give him a chance. There were reports that he had interest from a Western Conference team, but fans were not having it.

Three-time All-Star Ben Simmons has agreed on a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings.

Shams Charania revealed on X

This means that the news did happen to be true, and Ben Simmons is returning to the NBA with a deal that takes him back to the Western Conference.

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Fans have hilarious reactions to news of Ben Simmons’ return

Whenever any news about Ben Simmons comes around, basketball fans do have the choicest reactions waiting under their belt. This time, as he is returning with the Sacramento Kings, a team mired in underperformance for years, the jokes were more on the sarcastic humor side.

They pointed out how this was more devastating than when the former LSU star took up Pro Fishing after almost giving up on his NBA career. Others felt that the Kings are doing everything to tank for a high draft pick. Examples of such reactions are below.

This one-year, $3.5 million contract might be a blessing in disguise, considering that it will ease the pressure on Ben Simmons, and he will be able to prove whether he still has it in him to lead a team. However, until that happens, the three-time All-Star should expect such reactions every now and then.

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Stephen A. Smith Blasts Ben Simmons’ Interest in Returning to Play: “The Biggest Waste of Talent in NBA History”

Stephen A. Smith tears into Ben Simmons

News of Ben Simmons joining the Sacramento Kings broke before First Take went on air. When host Shae Cornette asked Stephen A. Smith for a reaction to this, he grudgingly said this:

Stephen A. Smith and Ben Simmons
Stephen A. Smith and Ben Simmons (Image via Awful Announcing/Bouncepass AU/X)

He treated taking a shot as if you were asking him to be on the front lines in Afghanistan…. I do know this; he never missed picking up his check… Here is my question: how come he isn’t paying Sacramento?… He should be the first player in the NBA that actually pays the team to let him play in an NBA uniform, considering the thievery he engaged in.

Stephen A. Smith replied

This was the analyst reiterating what he has been saying about Ben Simmons: that he has been stealing money from NBA teams on the pretext of playing, but never did. It seems that unless that changes this season, these narratives will continue to plague his legacy.

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