Former All-Star Ben Simmons remains one of the highest-profile free agents remaining on the market, but that may be more about the wishes of the 29-year-old after finishing last season with the L.A. Clippers.
Simmons has been linked to the Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in free agency, yet no move has been forthcoming which suggests he may in fact have his eye on another destination.
Warriors could grant Ben Simmons his wish by trading Jonathan Kuminga
NBA insider Brett Siegel of Clutch Points suggested on Thursday that he wouldn't be shocked if Simmons is holding out from signing with any of the three aforementioned teams in order to see if an opportunity arises elsewhere -- namely at the Warriors, Atlanta Hawks or Cleveland Cavaliers.
In a separate post on X (formerly Twitter), Siegel also mentioned that Golden State have done their "due diligence" on Simmons among a significant group of remaining free agents looking for their next deal.
Knicks and Kings are known suitors for Simmons. Celtics have obviously been in that mix as well.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) August 21, 2025
I wouldn't be shocked if Simmons is holding out to see if any of these other situations create an opening for him — teams like Golden State, Atlanta, and Cleveland. https://t.co/GyZ51zAIeO
The Warriors are certainly in a good spot to grant Simmons his wish given they've still only got nine players contracted on the roster, but you'd think any interest in the 3x All-Star would be dependant on the departure of Jonathan Kuminga.
Steve Kerr has already spoken heavily about the difficulty in playing Kuminga alongside Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, let alone if you also added a complete non-scorer in Simmons to a team that needs more 3-point shooting not less.
Golden State are adamant on keeping Kuminga rather than entertain sign-and-trade packages, but perhaps that changes if the looming threat of the 22-year-old signing the qualifying offer grows stronger before the October 1 deadline.
Maybe that would then afford the Warriors to look at Simmons as another bigger-bodied rotation option, giving them another lesser version of Green to employ off the bench as a high-level defender who can handle the ball and create.
Simmons' dramatic drop off since his All-Star years has now made him a minimum-level player, but if there's someone who could find some value in him then it's probably Golden State. You can see why the Australian is happy to wait and see if there's room at the Warriors, with their offense predicated on ball and player movement rather than some of the heliocentric systems we see elsewhere.
None of that means anything if Kuminga remains with the Warriors, yet Simmons may be more than willing to wait on a surprise trade to take place if it means reaching a more preferred destination.