Ben Simmons is back in the NBA after agreeing to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Sacramento Kings. The team officially announced the signing on September 8, ending a full season away from league competition. Simmons last played in 2024-25, appearing in 51 games between Brooklyn and the LA Clippers. The move also creates another variable for early betting assessments of Sacramento. Simmons’ expected minutes, lineup combinations and availability could matter more than his reputation when sportsbooks set season futures, win totals and opening-night prices. Sacramento’s numbers on bizbet could therefore shift as Doug Christie gives a clearer picture of the rotation during preseason. For the Kings, the larger question is what role Simmons can realistically fill after a year away.
Sacramento adds another passer to a changing roster
Simmons gives coach Doug Christie another ball-handler with size and defensive versatility. In his last NBA season, he averaged 5.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game. Those numbers were far below his All-Star peak, but they still point to the parts of his game Sacramento can use immediately: advancing the ball, finding cutters and defending several positions.
The Kings are coming off a 22-60 season and have reshaped the roster. DeMar DeRozan was waived in July and has since signed with Denver, while No. 7 draft pick Darius Acuff Jr. joins Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. Simmons does not need to recreate his Philadelphia years to help. A bench role built around passing and defense would already give Sacramento a different option.
That uncertainty matters for betting. A larger role for Simmons could influence Sacramento’s pace, assist distribution and defensive matchups, feeding into team totals, player props and game lines. Preseason usage should therefore tell bettors more than the contract itself.
His first weeks should answer several practical questions:
- how many minutes he can handle after a season out;
- whether Christie uses him mainly on the ball or as a secondary creator;
- how often he shares the floor with Sabonis;
- whether he can defend wings and larger guards consistently;
- how much scoring Sacramento needs from him.
The medical check mattered before the contract
Before the deal was completed, Simmons visited Sacramento for medical examinations, an on-court workout and meetings with Christie and team staff. That process mattered because back issues had disrupted several seasons and he did not play at all in 2025-26.
Reuters reported that Simmons is healthy and practicing without limitations. Even so, preseason will be the first meaningful test of how his body responds to NBA pace after the layoff. Sacramento opens its preseason against the Lakers on October 5, followed by four more exhibition games.
Preseason will reveal how the new role works
Preseason should show whether Simmons is closing games, leading the second unit or playing shorter defensive stretches. His minutes alongside Sabonis will be especially revealing because both create from the interior and neither relies heavily on perimeter shooting.
That uncertainty also matters for betting markets. A preseason start does not guarantee the same role once the regular season begins, while late injury and availability reports can move player props or team totals close to tip-off. Those changes can be followed from a smartphone in a browser or, after downloading the bizbet apk file, in the installed app. Confirmed starters and expected minutes will still provide more useful context than Simmons’ return alone.
If Simmons regularly handles second-unit possessions, his assist props will become easier to assess against a defined role. Longer stretches alongside Sabonis would put more emphasis on pace and spacing when considering team totals, while Simmons’ defensive assignments could also affect matchups against bigger guards and wings.
October will show whether the fit works
Sacramento’s regular season begins on October 21 against the Clippers, one of Simmons’ former teams, before the home opener against Portland two days later. Those games will show how Christie balances Simmons with the Kings’ existing creators.
There is a clear basketball case for the move. Simmons can push the pace after rebounds, create passes from unusual angles and switch defensively when healthy. There is also uncertainty after a year without NBA action and several seasons interrupted by physical problems. That makes both basketball projections and early betting prices more dependent on actual rotation evidence than on past reputation.
Sacramento has taken a relatively low-cost chance on a player with an unusual skill set, while Simmons gets a route back into an NBA rotation. The first meaningful measure will be whether he can stay available and make the Kings’ second unit function better from week to week throughout the season.
