The Golden State Warriors had interest in bringing Ben Simmons to training camp, only for the fallen star to take up greater security at the pacific rival Sacramento Kings as he looks to rejuvenate his NBA career.
Simmons is now set to get the chance to show the Warriors what they missed out on, with the former number one overall pick likely to make his Sacramento debut when they face Golden State on Saturday.
Ben Simmons gets immediete chance to show Warriors what they missed
Simmons has missed the Kings opening two preseason games against the Los Angeles Lakers, but there is optimism the Australian will make his comeback against the Warriors according to ESPN's Marc J. Spears on Friday.
Simmons' return is one of the more fascinating storylines entering the season, and there will be an even bigger watch from a Golden State standpoint given their interest in the 30-year-old this offseason.
Simmons hasn't played in an NBA game since he finished the 2024-25 season with the L.A. Clippers, leaving real intrigue on where he's at both physically and mentally after over 12 months out of the game.
It will also be interesting to see how the Kings deploy him from a positional standpoint. Does he play as a backup point guard behind exciting rookie Darius Acuff Jr.? Simmons made his name as such back in his days with the Philadelphia 76ers, becoming a three-time All-Star and even earning MVP votes in 2021. His career has since been in freefall, having appeared in just 108 games since that 2020-21 season.
Warriors could come to regret missing out on Ben Simmons
Perhaps Sacramento utilize Simmons in a different role as more of a center option, having played that role in his limited minutes during his Clippers tenure. It's very likely Golden State will have planned for him to play a mix of both roles, but perhaps more as a big man if they were to have had both he and Brandon Williams on the roster.
The Warriors could still come to regret missing on Simmons if he's to find form in Sacramento, particularly if it's as a center option where the Warriors now have some issues given the latest health concern for starting big man Kristaps Porzingis.
Golden State will get an early look at whether Simmons truly holds the potential to revive his career, or whether this might be the last stop on a career that promised so much but hasn't delivered anywhere near what was expected.
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