Ben Simmons is not expected to play in the Sacramento Kings’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Australian is set to make his Kings debut later this week, according to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.
Spears reported that Simmons is expected to play either on Thursday against the Lakers in Los Angeles or on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors (US time). His absence from the opener is not injury-related, CBS Sports noted, with the Kings choosing to ramp the 30-year-old up cautiously.
Spears also said Simmons is healthy and has had as strong a training camp as any Kings player, according to his sources.
When Simmons could play
The Kings host the Lakers at Golden 1 Center on Monday night (US time), which is 1pm AEDT on Tuesday 6 October. The two teams meet again at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, 8 October (1:30pm AEDT Friday), before Sacramento takes on Golden State on Saturday, 10 October (11:30am AEDT Sunday).
The Kings then host the Portland Trail Blazers on 13 October and finish the preseason against the San Antonio Spurs on 16 October. Their regular season starts at home against Portland on Friday, 23 October (US time).
A comeback after a year away
The Melbourne-born former No. 1 draft pick did not play in the 2025-26 NBA season before signing a one-year deal with Sacramento in September. In his last season, 2024-25, he averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists across 51 games with the Brooklyn Nets and LA Clippers, Bleacher Report noted.
Bleacher Report added that persistent back injuries derailed Simmons’ career after he emerged as a two-way force with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he was a three-time All-Star and earned All-NBA honours in 2019-20.
Sacramento finished 22-60 last season, which should give Simmons the chance at regular minutes. The Sacramento Bee has tipped him to be the Kings’ main ball-handler when rookie No. 7 pick Darius Acuff Jr. is off the floor.
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