Simmons Tears Achilles, Likely Out For Kings' Season — SkimNews
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- Ben Simmons tore his Achilles tendon during a live drill at Sunday's practice, and the Kings announced he will undergo surgery in what is expected to be a season-ending injury.
- Simmons signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with Sacramento on Sept. 4 after GM Scott Perry watched him work out in Miami, where the 30-year-old three-time All-Star was healthy at the time of the deal.
- Simmons impressed at training camp on short notice and played two preseason games for the Kings, averaging 10.5 points in 17.5 minutes per game.
- Sacramento had planned to deploy Simmons as a backup point guard behind rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and to use him at positions 1 through 5 in what the team described as a high-upside reclamation project.
- Simmons wrote on social media that the injury is "another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story" and that "adversity doesn't define you. How you respond to it does."
Why it matters: The Kings signed a 30-year-old three-time All-Star to a $3.5 million reclamation deal on Sept. 4 specifically to back up rookie Darius Acuff Jr. and provide positional versatility; two preseason games later, that investment — and likely the season — is gone. Sacramento loses its planned backup point guard and a multi-positional piece before the regular season even starts.
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