Ben Simmons’ injury not only derailed his plans to show that he is still an elite NBA player but also halted the Sacramento Kings’ gamble on him in the offseason.
Simmons suffered a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon during a team practice on Sunday, October 18.
Now, the Kings have a decision to make about whether they would let go of Simmons via trade or let him stay with the team and wait for his one-year contract to expire at the end of the season.
Ben Simmons Could Be Traded By The Kings This Season
For The Athletic’s John Hollinger, the Kings could try to move Simmons’ contract in a trade to get some value out of the 30-year-old Aussie, whose expectations were high about his role with the team.
“Don’t be surprised if the Kings keep him on the roster and look to use his deal in a trade,” Hollinger wrote. “The Kings, incidentally, are $3.1 million below the tax line, enough room that they could sign another player in the meantime to fill their open 15th roster spot.”
Simmons signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Kings to return to the NBA, which includes a non-guaranteed structure with $1 million in protection if he remains on the opening night roster.
Even though a brutal season-ending injury derailed his momentum on the court, many insiders, including Hollinger, suggest the Kings are unlikely to simply waive him. Instead, Sacramento could retain or leverage his contract as trade bait while exploring point guard reinforcements to fill the void.
Nonetheless, the Kings increased Simmons’ value as he authored an encouraging preseason comeback with the Kings, flashing the elite, versatile playmaking that originally made him a three-time All-Star.
Over two preseason games, Simmons averaged 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in limited floor time, culminating in a standout performance against the San Antonio Spurs where he stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.
His strong showing was enough to earn a projected spot in the starting lineup for opening night at the power forward position until the devastating injury.
Ben Simmons Still Set To Receive His Salary This Season
Despite the injury, Ben Simmons will still be receiving his salary in the upcoming season. John Hollinger explained this at The Athletic.
“The reason is the salary continuation rule, which states that injured players on non-guaranteed contracts must continue to be paid until they are healthy again. (Notably, this protection does not apply to players who sign training camp contracts – also referred to as Exhibit 9 or Exhibit 10 deals, which are only protected up to $15,000. But Simmons didn’t sign that type of contract.) As a result, the Kings will have a $2.45 million salary for Simmons on their books all year regardless of whether they waive him,” Hollinger wrote.
Nevertheless, it is still a sad end for Simmons’ NBA return attempt this season after sitting out the past year to work on himself physically and mentally in Australia.
Now, the only certainty for Simmons’ future is that most things are uncertain for him in the NBA.
Bad News For Ben Simmons Future As Kings Could Trade Him For Assets