With just over a month remaining until the 2025-26 NBA season begins, three-time All-Star Ben Simmons is among the notable free agents remaining. Simmons, 29, has drawn interest from the New York Knicks and another NBA team, but he is also “questioning” whether or not he wants to play another season in the league, the New York Post reported on Wednesday.
Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, has had a rollercoaster career. Simmons won Rookie of the Year, earned three straight All-Star nods from 2019 to 2021 and twice was a first-team All-Defense selection, but he has been limited to just 108 games combined over the past four seasons as he endured various injuries after an acrimonious split from the 76ers. Simmons split time between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers and saw action in 51 games while averaging 5.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 22 minutes per game.
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Simmons was bought out by Brooklyn in February and signed with the Clippers for the remainder of the season. After 18 regular-season appearances, Simmons played in five games, averaging 8.4 minutes, for the Clippers during their seven-game, first-round playoff loss to the Nuggets.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported in July that Simmons was drawing interest from the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings in addition to the Knicks, but nothing has materialized since.
If the Knicks did sign Simmons, it would almost certainly be in a reserve role. New York is coming off its first berth in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000 and has had a busy offseason since. The Knicks fired former coach Tom Thibodeau shortly after their season ended, and hired former Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown as his replacement.
