Ben Simmons is returning to the NBA, but the former Philadelphia 76ers star will not be making his comeback where his career began.
Simmons agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings, ESPN’s Shams Charania and Marc J. Spears reported on September 4. Charania reported that Simmons’ agents Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney confirmed the agreement. Simmons is set to return for his 10th NBA season after sitting out the entire 2025-26 campaign.
For some Sixers fans, the destination immediately raised another question: Why not Philadelphia?
“BENNN WHY NOT PHILLLYYYYYYYYYYYY,” one fan wrote underneath Charania’s Instagram post announcing the deal.
“Why didn’t Philly take him man,” another replied.
A third reaction on X was even more direct: “Noo was supposed to come to philly.”
Those responses came only days after the possibility of Simmons returning to Philadelphia had resurfaced as a talking point around the team. PhillyVoice’s Adam Aaronson addressed the prospect in a September 1 mailbag after receiving questions about whether the former No. 1 pick could actually reunite with the Sixers.
Instead, Simmons is headed west for his latest NBA restart.
Ben Simmons Reunion Talk Ends With Kings Deal
A Simmons return to Philadelphia always would have carried considerable baggage.
The Sixers selected him No. 1 overall in 2016, and he developed into a three-time All-Star and one of the NBA’s most versatile defenders before his relationship with the franchise deteriorated. His Philadelphia tenure ultimately ended when the Sixers sent him to the Brooklyn Nets in the 2022 James Harden trade.
Years later, though, enough time had passed for at least some fans to entertain the idea of a reunion.
The reaction to Simmons’ Kings deal made clear that the sentiment was not unanimous.
“WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL PAYING THIS SCRUB???,” one commenter wrote on Instagram.
Another fan offered a dramatically different prediction: “He boutta make all nba 1st team just wait.”
Others simply welcomed Simmons back to the league, with one commenter writing, “Welcome back.”
That split reaction has followed Simmons for much of the latter half of his career. His peak in Philadelphia demonstrated why teams remain intrigued by his size, passing and defensive versatility, while his availability and offensive limitations have made it difficult for him to regain that level.
Sacramento is now the team willing to take the next chance.
Kings Give Simmons a Low-Cost Chance to Restart Career
At $3.5 million for one season, Sacramento does not need Simmons to resemble the player who made three consecutive All-Star teams in Philadelphia for the deal to become worthwhile.
The bigger question is whether he can carve out a dependable role after a year away from the NBA.
Reaction among Kings fans was similarly divided. Some welcomed the low-risk gamble, while others questioned how Simmons would fit next to Domantas Sabonis because of the spacing issues created by playing two reluctant perimeter shooters together.
For Philadelphia, Simmons’ decision provides a definitive answer to a reunion question that had begun circulating again late in the offseason.
The Sixers have already gone in another direction with their roster, including a reported two-year deal for guard Anfernee Simons in July.
Simmons, meanwhile, gets another opportunity to rebuild his career without stepping directly back into the environment where his NBA story became most complicated.
And judging by the immediate reaction to the Kings news, there were still at least a few people in Philadelphia who would have welcomed him back.
Sixers Fans Sound Off After Ben Simmons Signs With Kings