The Sacramento Kings have emerged as one of the favorites to sign a former top pick this offseason to address their problems in the backcourt.
Kings Among Favorites to Sign Former No. 1 Overall Pick to Upgrade Backcourt originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Sacramento Kings entered the offseason coming off another disappointing season that saw them miss the playoffs once again.
Of course, many expected the Kings to potentially begin a rebuild or at least trade away one or two of their star players this offseason but that has not been the case thus far.
Instead, the Kings have elected to make additions to their roster to help them compete for a playoff spot next season, though they do still have some major holes to fill on their roster.
One of those holes is at the point guard position because while they did land Dennis Schroder in free agency via a sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons, they still lack true point guard depth behind the veteran.
Because of this Sacramento has been linked to many different players this offseason and one name who has recently come up in potential targets is former first overall pick Ben Simmons.
According to Bovada, the Kings have the third-best odds (+375) to land Simmons this offseason.
The Boston Celtics are the favorites to win the Ben Simmons sweepstakes, per @BovadaOfficial
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 25, 2025
Boston Celtics +185
Phoenix Suns +255
New York Knicks +375
Sacramento Kings +375
Houston Rockets +600
Cleveland Cavaliers +750
Toronto Raptors +950 pic.twitter.com/tInbUAjZ9W
The Boston Celtics are the favorite (+185) to sign him and they are followed by the Phoenix Suns (+255) and New York Knicks (+375).
Of course, Simmons is no longer the All-Star caliber player that he was earlier in his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, mainly due to injuries, but he is still a solid player who could be a major upgrade to a contender’s bench.
Simmons would be a solid addition to Sacramento’s bench due to his ability to play the point guard position along with both forward positions, which are all areas the Kings are reportedly looking to improve this offseason.
The 29-year-old is a great playmaker and defender who would give the Kings a much-needed spark off the bench, though his injury history may play a factor in Sacramento’s decision.
Also, the Kings would have to waive a player if they want to add Simmons this offseason as their roster is currently full after bringing back Doug McDermott last week.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
