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Ben Simmons probably doesn't have an NBA future if he rejected Knicks
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- Ben Simmons probably doesn't have an NBA future if he rejected Knicks
Not that long ago, it seemed that Ben Simmons was the future face of the NBA. A decade later, now it is uncertain if he will even have any job at all.
Simmons was born in Australia but was a high school star, alongside D'Angelo Russell, at Montverde Academy in Florida. As the No. 1 recruit in the nation, for the 2015-16 campaign, he played one season of college basketball at LSU. Around then, there was plenty of reason to believe he could have a superstar-caliber NBA career.
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The following season, Simmons was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers . While he missed the entirety of his first professional campaign, once he got on the court, he looked like he could live up to those lofty expectations.
Simmons is not a "bust" by your typical definition of the terminology.
He won NBA Rookie of the Year then made three consecutive NBA All-Star appearances. He was also named NBA All-Defense two years in a row. There are not many players in league history who have reached those levels of pro success.
But after his time with Philadelphia ended in poor fashion and he was eventually traded to the Brooklyn Nets , he has struggled to find a meaningful place in the league.
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Simmons spent last season with the Los Angeles Clippers and as we near the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign, he remains a free agent. Here is more from Marc Stein ( via The Stein Line ):
"The Knicks , league sources said, indeed offered a one-year contract to Ben Simmons that the former All-Star passed on.
New York is limited to minimum contract offers as training camps draw near and Simmons entered the summer hopeful of securing a contract above the minimum after he split last season between the Nets and Clippers.
Boston and New York, I'm told, expressed the most serious interest in Simmons this summer."
Indeed, the Knicks could only offer Simmons a one-year "prove it" deal for the veteran minimum, which is more than $3 million for someone with his experience. (Simmons has made more than $203 million in his career thus far, per Spotrac .)
Simmons is no longer represented by his agent, Bernie Lee, who he began working with in 2023 after partying ways with Klutch Sports.
The Knicks might not offer Simmons the most money, but they could offer him a shot on a contender with a path to the Eastern Conference Finals (where he has famously wilted in the past).
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But the question is whether or not that is something Simmons actually wants, and as of right now, it seems that he does not.
Here is more from Stefan Bondy ( via New York Post ):
The former All-Star and Rookie of the Year, who has struggled recently with injuries and handling the public pressures of the league, is an option for the Knicks because of his upside as an elite defender and athlete to fill their backup point guard spot, a league source said.
However, Simmons, who has accumulated DNPs the past few seasons, and over $200 million in career earnings, is sending a message that he isn't sure "if he wants to continue," another source added.
So with the reporting that Simmons is "sending a message" that he isn't sure "if he wants to continue" in the NBA, perhaps that is exactly what happens.
Simmons still offers tremendous defensive versatility and great playmaking, especially for someone his size. But it seems unlikely any team gambles on more than a minimum deal for him at this point.
No one can fault Simmons for trying to make as much money as he can, but it is hard to imagine how any other scenario plays out as of right now.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ben Simmons probably doesn't have an NBA future if he rejected Knicks
