And-Ones: Simmons, NCAA, Rookies, Tanking, 2026 Draft
After recently confirming to Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he continues to work toward a potential NBA comeback, former No. 1 overall pick and three-time All-Star Ben Simmons spoke to Sam Jane of The Athletic about why he has been in no rush to sign a new contract. As Simmons explains, recurring back issues have resulted in him playing – and living – through pain for several years.
“(It’s) one of those things where you’re dealing with it every day, sitting down, going to sleep, flying on planes,” Simmons said. “People don’t understand that.”
According to Simmons, he determined it would be in his best interest to take a more extended rehab period after the 2024/25 season rather than immediately signing a new contract and once again reporting to a team’s camp at less than 100%. His goal as he works out in Los Angeles, he tells Jane, is to become “bulletproof” to avoid more health-related setbacks.
“I’m about to be 30 years old, and I need to make the best decision for Ben Simmons,” Simmons said. “It’s not fun going out there, not being able to move, not be able to jump, or, you know, take hits. There’s no fun in that. Sometimes you got to make a decision with how you feel and what’s best for yourself. And that’s what I’ve done, and it’s not for everybody to really understand, because they’re not in my shoes.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Amid reports that college basketball coaches are reaching out to players with NBA experience, Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter links) hears from a source that the NCAA has yet to grant eligibility to anyone who has played in NBA games. Asked if that could happen, an NCAA spokesperson provided the following statement: “Schools are recruiting and seeking eligibility for more individuals with more international, semi-pro, and professional experience than ever before and while the NCAA members have updated many rules following the House injunction, more rules must likely be updated to reflect the choices member schools are making. At the same time, NCAA eligibility rules have been invalidated by judges across the country wreaking havoc on the system and leading to fewer opportunities for high school students, which is why the Association is asking Congress to intervene in these challenges.”
- A little over two months into the NBA season, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has updated his rookie rankings, evaluating first-year players based on how they’ve performed so far in 2025/26. The top four players on Vecenie’s list are the same ones selected with the first four picks in the 2025 draft: Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Hornets wing Kon Knueppel, Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe, and Spurs guard Dylan Harper. Pelicans big man Derik Queen rounds out Vecenie’s top five.
- With the NBA reportedly considering rule changes to further disincentivize tanking, Tony Jones, Eric Koreen, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic evaluate the rumored proposals, expressing the most enthusiasm for one that would prevent teams from drafting in the top four in back-to-back years.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report spoke to three scouts about who should be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, with each of those three scouts laying out the case for selecting a different prospect: Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, and Duke forward Cameron Boozer.
Free Agent Ben Simmons Working Toward NBA Comeback
Free agent Ben Simmons is looking to return to the NBA sometime this season, he told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
“Yeah. It depends on what I want to give them, though,” he said of coming back this season. “It’s one of those things where I can go out and play and probably do really well and do important things for a team. But I want to get my body to the best it’s been. That’s the best of focus. I don’t want to have any setbacks or anything like that. That’s my major focus because I don’t think it’s good for anybody if I’m out there and I’m not 100 percent. So, for me, it’s getting to my peak physicality right now and then we’ll see what happens.”
A report surfaced in September suggesting that Simmons was weighing the possibility of retirement, but his comments to Spears indicate he’s focused on getting back to the league.
Simmons split last season with the Nets and Clippers, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 51 games. It was the most appearances he has made in a season since 2020/21, which was his last All-Star year.
Simmons was expected to be a perennial All-Star early in his career but his career was derailed by injuries, along with his offensive limitations and issues with management. His main physical issue has been back injuries — he’s had two surgical procedures done on his back.
He’s working on getting that issue resolved.
“The original time we were just approaching a lot of my rehab wrong. And I don’t think it was on the therapist. I just think we had to get a new set of eyes on it,” he said. “And a lot of it was my mobility and that nerve running through your back, through my leg. I could barely jump off it or really move around. So, where I’m at now, I’m back on court in the gym [six days per week]. It’s two-a-days right now and then on court, too. It’s exhausting, but this is the best I’ve felt in terms of the work I’ve been putting in. And so, when you see that and you’re getting rewarded for it, it keeps you in there. You want to see more. So, I feel really good. I feel like physically, mentally, I’m in a great place and I’m very blessed.”
Simmons said he was limited physically last season, even when he did play.
“I felt like I could barely really move how I wanted to. It was tough to really do what I wanted to do given where I was,” he said. “And at the same time, some people are happy with maybe you can give me a few minutes doing this and that. For me, I want to be able to do as much as I can. I don’t want to go out there knowing I’m going to play a certain amount of minutes when I know I can give more.”
As Spears details, Simmons has been doing basketball, strength, and rehabilitation workouts twice a day, six days a week, and believes it won’t be much longer before he’s ready to go.
“I’m looking maybe halfway through this year, if not next season,” he said. “Yeah, it just depends how far I can come along in that next month or so. But I’m feeling great. I haven’t had any setbacks.”
Simmons made a major change in representation, re-signing with super-agent Rich Paul and Klutch Sports while parting ways with Bernie Lee. Paul represented Simmons earlier in his career.
“I had to make a hard decision. The first thing was letting go of my original agent last summer,” he said. “I just told him right now it’s not a fit. And it was nothing personal against him at all. It was just for me, I wanted to take that time to get my body right, get my mind right, and just make that the sole focus.”
Simmons is relying on Paul to help him find another opportunity.
“I don’t think there’s any real pressure or worry. I think it’s just they felt the same way as I felt. I said, ‘I need just time to get ready and just focus on my body.’ There’s no point in going out there and not being physically able and everyone’s on the same page, so it’s just working until you’re right,” he said. “I never had any bad blood with [Klutch Sports]. It was just one of those things where it’s like, we’re men. We’re not boys. It is what it is. S–t happened. Let’s figure it out. Let’s talk. That’s how relationships figure themselves out, and you talk them through. But there’s no bad blood. It is what it is. It’s family. I fight with my family all the time and things happen.”
Atlantic Notes: Z. Williams, Simmons, Celtics, Sixers
Nets swingman Ziaire Williams waived his right to veto a trade as part of his new two-year contract agreement with the Nets, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year deal or a two-year deal that includes a second-year option is typically given an implicit no-trade clause, but a team can ask the player to give up that no-trade clause upon signing. Because Williams – whose contract features a second-year team option – agreed to do so, he would lose his Bird rights if he’s traded ahead of February’s deadline.
Brooklyn has been looking to maintain trade flexibility while re-signing its free agents to short-term deals — the team has gotten Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe to waive their trade veto rights and sought to get Cam Thomas to do the same. However, Thomas opted to accept his qualifying offer, taking a lesser 2025/26 salary in order to maintain full control over a potential trade.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Following up on reports indicating that Ben Simmons rebuffed interest from the Knicks and is no longer being represented by agent Bernie Lee, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post directly connects the two developments — a source tells Bondy that Lee dropped Simmons as a client after the former No. 1 overall pick “sent signals that he wasn’t interested in whatever came from his agent’s conversations with the Knicks.”
- A panel of NBC Sports Boston staffers, including NBA insider Chris Forsberg, consider which of the Celtics‘ two-way players is most likely to help the team this season. The consensus is that big man Amari Williams, the 46th overall pick in June’s draft, has the clearest path to regular playing time, given the key frontcourt players Boston lost this offseason.
- Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) explores some burning roster-related questions facing the Sixers ahead of the 2025/26 season. Outside of the obvious uncertainty related to Joel Embiid‘s and Paul George‘s availability, Mizell considers what the backcourt rotation will look like and how the team will replace Guerschon Yabusele‘s production following his departure in free agency.
Ben Simmons Passed On Knicks’ Offer?
7:00 pm: The Knicks never made a formal offer to Simmons, league sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
The question of whether or not a “formal offer” was made can come down to semantics — it’s possible Simmons indicated he wouldn’t accept a minimum-salary offer from New York before the team ever officially put it on the table.
12:06 pm: The Knicks offered Ben Simmons a one-year contract at some point this offseason, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Substack link), who reports that the free agent guard passed on that proposal.
Due to their proximity to a hard cap, the Knicks aren’t able to offer more than the veteran’s minimum to any free agent, so it’s safe to assume that’s what their offer to Simmons was worth. According to Stein, the former No. 1 overall pick remains hopeful of signing a contract worth more than the minimum.
Simmons, 29, was the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2018, made three All-Star teams from 2019-21, and was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2021. One of the NBA’s best passers and defenders earlier in his career, he signed a maximum-salary rookie scale extension in 2019 that ran from 2020-25 — he was bought out of that deal this February before signing with the Clippers for the rest of the 2024/25 season.
Multiple back surgeries have slowed Simmons in recent years and his offensive numbers have fallen off when he has been healthy enough to play. While he was never much of a shooter, the former LSU standout was more willing to attempt field goals earlier in his career. His shot attempts per 36 minutes have declined in every single one of his NBA seasons, from 13.2 in 2017/18 to 7.2 in ’24/25.
Although he accepted a rest-of-season minimum deal with the Clippers in February, Simmons seems to be struggling to come to terms with the idea that he’s now being considered a minimum-salary player, as Jake Fischer detailed in his latest Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link). Recent reports indicated that agent Bernie Lee has parted ways with Simmons and that the three-time All-Star isn’t 100% sure he wants to continue playing.
According to Stein, the Knicks and Celtics are the teams that expressed the most significant interest in Simmons this summer. Boston would likely also be capped at a minimum-salary offer due to the team’s proximity to the tax aprons.
Free Agent Ben Simmons Considering Retirement
1:45 pm: Agent Bernie Lee has informed the National Basketball Players Association that he is no longer representing Simmons as the two-time All-Defensive member weighs his next steps, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).
8:06 am: Veteran free agent Ben Simmons remains unsigned, and it’s possible he’ll decide to end his career instead of joining a team before the start of training camp. A source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that Simmons is unsure “if he wants to continue” playing in the NBA.
The Knicks are among the teams that have expressed interest in the former No. 1 pick, but they can only offer a veteran’s minimum contract that would be worth a little more than $3MM. That might not be enough to lure Simmons, who is only 29 but has dealt with numerous injuries in recent years. Bondy points out that Simmons has made more than $200MM in his career and may not want to continue pushing his body after undergoing multiple back surgeries.
Another source tells Bondy that along with Simmons, New York is still considering Landry Shamet and at least one other free agent to fill a roster opening. The front office has also contacted representatives for Malik Beasley, Bondy adds, but his status remains uncertain due to his involvement in a federal gambling probe. Beasley may get a more lucrative offer if teams are confident that he’ll be able to play.
Simmons split last season with the Nets and Clippers, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 51 games. It was the most games he has appeared in since 2020/21, which was his last All-Star season.
In addition to their financial limitations, the Knicks may not be able to offer consistent playing time to Simmons, Bondy notes. Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson have already been added in free agency this summer, joining the core of a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
Bondy states that another team still has interest in signing Simmons, but he doesn’t specify who it is. The Kings and Warriors have been mentioned as possibilities, and they both have roster spots available.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks Coaches, 14th Roster Spot, LeBron, Brown
The Knicks have revamped their coaching staff following their run to the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. Installed in the stead of ex-head coach Tom Thibodeau is former two-time Coach of the Year Mike Brown, who has brought in many new faces to fill out his bench.
In an interview with Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, USC men’s basketball head coach Eric Musselman weighed in on how he expects Brown to handle the pressures of his new gig. Musselman has several connections to the Knicks’ new-look staff. He worked as the Lakers’ then-D League coach while Brown was coaching L.A.’s NBA team. Musselman also started the career of New York’s fresh defensive coordinator, Brendan O’Connor.
“He is super-detailed, super-organized,” Musselman said of Brown. “That year with the Lakers, his playbook, he wants to make sure it’s color-coded properly. He got a little bit of an NFL, detail-oriented mindset. … I saw it in the meetings in training camp preparation. Perfect color-coded books. And making sure the periods and the commas were in the right places… Training camp, the drills and the precision … that was real detailed as well.”
Musselman added that he believes Brown’s past stints with superstar players in Cleveland and Los Angeles, combined with his run as a Golden State assistant coach that included three championships, has uniquely equipped him for this opportunity.
“I just think his experience of being in Cleveland and who he coached there [LeBron James] and then I think the fact that he coached in L.A. and it’s the Lakers,” Musselman said. “And with the media market in the Bay Area [with the Warriors], even though he was just an assistant, you can kind of sit back and watch how Coach [Steve] Kerr handles pressure and coaching in playoff situations. And he’s at a perfect age [Brown is 55]. He has a lot of things going for him. And if you coached in L.A., that’s about as good a preparation as you can have.”
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks still have to fill a 14th standard roster spot ahead of the regular season. New York has maintained its interest in free agent guards Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet and Ben Simmons to fill that spot, according to Bondy, though he cautions that he has heard “conflicting information” about how genuine the interest in Simmons is.
- With LeBron James‘ future somewhat up in the air, Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News breaks down the pros and cons of a potential trade sending the Lakers star to the Knicks. There has been no indication that James will ask to be traded or that the Lakers will consider moving him, so it’s a purely speculative exercise by Winfield.
- Celtics All-Star forward Jaylen Brown‘s father Marselles Brown, a former boxer, was arrested for attempted murder in Las Vegas, per TMZ Sports. The elder Brown got into an argument with a youth football coach over a parking space, and the conflict escalated into a stabbing. NBC News 3 Las Vegas confirms the TMZ Sports report, noting that the conflict apparently started when a passenger in Brown’s SUV hit the door of the coach’s car.
Free Agent Rumors: Thomas, Westbrook, Simmons, Shamet, Knicks
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported Wednesday during a Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link) that he continues to hear restricted free agent guard Cam Thomas is weighing whether to sign his $6MM qualifying offer or accept a two-year deal with the Nets worth around $14MM annually. The catch is the second year is a team option, meaning only the first season is guaranteed.
“Cam Thomas’s situation seems to be a decision between taking his qualifying offer or a two-year deal with a team option that is north of the qualifying offer from Brooklyn, somewhere around $14 million in average annual value,” Fischer said.
For what it’s worth, league sources not connected to the situation speculated to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports that Thomas might accept a two-year deal with a team option if he received closer to what Golden State reportedly offered Jonathan Kuminga ($45MM). While Helin acknowledges that the Nets have the edge in negotiating leverage, he wonders if the two sides will eventually reach some sort of compromise — perhaps a second-year player option or a partial guarantee in year two — to hash out a new deal.
Here are a few more rumors and notes on NBA veterans who remain unsigned:
- There’s still no indication that any NBA team besides Sacramento is seriously considering signing Russell Westbrook, Fischer said yesterday in the same Bleacher Report live stream (hat tip to Dallas Hoops Journal). “We are still waiting to see what other moves could come in Sacramento before the Kings try to bring Russell Westbrook in,” Fischer said. “And that’s been the one home all along that we really have looked at for Russell Westbrook and that’s still the home that I have heard earlier this week is the most likely outcome for Russell Westbrook if he’s gonna be in the NBA at all. Honestly, that’s really the only home we’ve heard for him.”
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a look at four potential landing spots for Ben Simmons, including the Kings, Knicks and Warriors.
- While the Knicks and Simmons have mutual interest and the 29-year-old could end up in New York, Ian Begley of SNY.tv thinks the former No. 1 overall pick is “probably” more likely to land with another team, he said Tuesday on The Putback (YouTube link). New York only has enough room below its second-apron hard cap to sign one veteran to a minimum-salary deal, and Begley is “kind of assuming” that contract will eventually go to Landry Shamet. The Knicks have also kicked the tires on Malcolm Brogdon, though Begley noted they would likely have to make a trade to sign more than one of those three players.
And-Ones: Free Agents, 2026 Draft, Next Summer, 2024 Re-Draft
While most of the top free agents of the summer class of 2025 have either re-signed or joined new teams, there are still some potential impact role players on the market outside of the well-reported restricted free agent group.
Al Horford, Russell Westbrook and Amir Coffey sit atop Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report‘s list of best-available low-cost free agents. Horford has been heavily linked to the Warriors (as have Pincus’s fifth- and sixth-ranked free agents in Gary Payton II and De’Anthony Melton) and reporting has strongly suggested he’ll ultimately end up there once the Jonathan Kuminga situation is resolved.
Westbrook and the Kings have been frequently connected too, but reporting has suggested Sacramento might not have a spot for the former MVP if Malik Monk and/or Devin Carter aren’t traded, so it’s unclear where Westbrook would end up if the Kings decide they don’t have room in their backcourt.
As for Coffey and Pincus’s No. 4-ranked player Ben Simmons, there have been fewer definitive reports linking them to one team or another. Simmons has been connected to the Kings, Suns, Knicks and Celtics, but there hasn’t been much media traction involving Coffey.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Ahead of the 2025/26 collegiate season, the 2026 NBA draft class looks top-heavy, with three players in A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson who are in contention to be selected No. 1 overall, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report writes. Karim Lopez of the NBL’s New Zealand Breakers is Wasserman’s highest-ranked international prospect in the August update of his top-50 list, while Jayden Quaintance of Kentucky is the highest-ranked returning player (No. 4 overall) after he started 24 games for Arizona State in his age-17 season.
- Looking ahead to next offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks details the headlines that should dominate the news cycle, including the futures of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. James will be an unrestricted free agent next year, and it’s unclear whether he will finish his career with the Lakers. Meanwhile, Curry, Jokic and Antetokounmpo could all be free agents in 2027 if they don’t sign extensions before then.
- One year removed from the 2024 draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic re-drafted his top 20 from last year’s rookies. Zaccharie Risacher had a strong rookie season, but slipped from No. 1 to 2 in Vecenie’s re-draft, with 2024/25 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle overtaking him for the top slot. Jared McCain (from No. 16 to No. 3) and Jaylen Wells (from No. 39 to No. 9) are the biggest risers in the top 10, while Ajay Mitchell jumped from No. 38 to No. 12.
Atlantic Notes: Pritchard, Bridges, Knicks, Nets
The Celtics‘ biggest transactions this offseason – including trades that sent Jrue Holiday to Portland and Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta – have been more about reducing the team’s payroll as opposed to upgrading the roster. Still, despite those summer moves and the fact that Jayson Tatum will be sidelined with a torn Achilles, reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard remains confident in the team’s ability to compete.
“We’re definitely trying to be a playoff team. We’re trying to win a championship,” Pritchard said on the Celtics Talk Podcast with Chris Forsberg (story via Logan Reardon of NBC Sports Boston). “It’s not even about playoffs, we have one standard in Boston and it’s to win a championship. Everybody in that locker room will have the goal of competing for a championship. And we will do everything in our power necessary to go for that. That’s what (the fans) should know.”
Pritchard went on to acknowledge that it “definitely sucks” to lose players like Holiday, Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, adding that he’ll especially miss Holiday, who was “like a big brother.” Still, the Celtics guard is optimistic that other players will step up and play well in increased roles — Pritchard himself, who averaged a career-high 28.4 minutes per game last season, is among the players who will likely take on more responsibilities in 2025/26.
“I feel like everybody should be excited,” Pritchard said. “There’s a lot of opportunities across the board. For me, personally, I’m excited every year. Because it’s an opportunity to prove myself again, to show that I can take another step. And that’s my goal every year. I’m definitely hungry and motivated this year, been working really hard. So I’m excited.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Despite the fact that Mikal Bridges accepted a little less than he could have received on his four-year, $150MM contract extension, the Knicks project to be a second-apron team next season if they re-sign Mitchell Robinson, Yossi Gozlan writes for The Third Apron (Substack link). Within his look at the Knicks’ cap situation, Gozlan notes that Bridges’ unusual 5.69% trade kicker would put him in line to receive a bonus of about $6.17MM if he’s traded during the 2026 offseason — it would be almost the exact amount he gave up as part of his extension agreement (his max extension would have been worth roughly $156.17MM).
- In a mailbag for The Athletic, James L. Edwards III explores Robinson’s contract situation and the timing of Bridges’ extension, among other topics. Edwards also explains why he wouldn’t be a fan of even a minimum-salary investment in free agent guard Ben Simmons and confirms that the Knicks – along with many other teams around the league – have been monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s situation in Milwaukee throughout the offseason.
- After ending up at No. 8 in this year’s draft lottery, the Nets appear likely to tank again in 2025/26 in the hopes of landing a higher first-round pick. Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link) discusses the potential pitfalls of that approach, noting that teams who prioritize draft positioning for multiple years risk creating culture issues. “A lot of these teams that try to bottom out by tanking like Brooklyn is doing, they think there’s no consequences,” one agent told Lewis. “You risk eroding the environment you’re trying to create. That’s what happened in Philadelphia.”
Atlantic Notes: Davison, Simmons, Shamet, Nets
The financial implications of waiving guard JD Davison are why the Celtics ultimately made the move, Brian Robb of MassLive writes. By letting go of Davison, the Celtics slid under the second apron by approximately $1.9MM with 14 players on the roster.
By moving under the apron, the Celtics can send out cash in a trade, can aggregate salaries and are beginning the path to opening their 2032 pick up for trade. As Robb explains, once Boston stays under the second apron for three straight seasons, they’ll unfreeze that pick.
Cutting Davison now as opposed to later allowed him to reach a two-way deal in Houston, where he’ll reunite with former Boston head coach Ime Udoka.
We have more notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Ben Simmons and Landry Shamet continue to be candidates for a spot on the Knicks‘ 15-man roster, Ian Begley of SNY writes in a mailbag. As has been previously reported, the Knicks are among the teams awaiting Simmons’ decision, and Begley suggests that several staffers have interest in bringing back Shamet for a second season as well. As Begley writes, the Knicks have enough room under the second apron to bring in one veteran and one draft-rights player on a rookie deal. 2025 second-round Mohamed Diawara looks like a top candidate for that latter role, though that’s speculation.
- In a subscriber-only story, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes that by taking a discount on his extension, Mikal Bridges put himself in rare air and established himself as a core Knick for years to come.
- The Nets announced their preseason schedule for the upcoming season, NetsDaily relayed. The only home game on the four-game schedule is a tilt against Hapoel Jerusalem.