After spending the 2024-25 NBA season between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers, Ben Simmons tested free agency this offseason. A couple of weeks before training camp, the Australian guard has yet to sign with a new team for the 2025-26 campaign.
Simmons averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game last season, shooting 52% from the field and 72.7% from the free-throw line in 51 contests. His market appeared to be dry until the new-look New York Knicks showed interest in him.
According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the former No. 1 overall pick rejected an offer from the Knicks, who can only pay him the veteran minimum (over $3 million).
The decision put Simmons in a complex position with his agent, who reportedly dropped him as a client over it.
"Simmons' agent, Bernie Lee, recently dropped him as a client, according to Stein," Stefon Bondy of the New York Post wrote on Tuesday. "A source said that decision occurred after the point guard sent signals that he wasn't interested in whatever came from his agent's conversations with the Knicks."
After eight years in the league, Simmons is only a shell of the player he was projected to be when he was drafted out of LSU. His confidence vanished, he isn't as aggressive as earlier in his career, and fans have given up on the possibility of him developing a decent jumper.
Simmons has career averages of 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists, while shooting 55.8% from the field. He left the Philadelphia 76ers on bad terms, and his tenure with the Nets wasn't any better.
His attempt to make an impact on the Clippers wasn't fruitful, as they only lasted one playoff round in 2025. At 29, Simmons is still young, but his body language suggests that his hunger is no longer there.
Bondy reported last week that Simmons now questions if he wants to continue to play basketball.
The Knicks are considered one of the favorites to come out of the East next season after other top teams like the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers suffered major injuries. But at this point, Simmons has given no indication that he wants to be part of a potential championship run in New York.
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