Ben Simmons remains one of the top free agents available on the market with less than two months remaining before NBA regular-season action begins on Oct. 21.
Simmons spent parts of the 2024-25 campaign with the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers, and it is widely expected he will play for a third team this calendar year. The New York Knicks have been considered the favorites for Simmons' signature for most of the offseason, with teams like the Boston Celtics and the Sacramento Kings waiting in the wings if a deal can't be struck.
But if recent reports are any indication, the first part of the previous sentence may not be true.
Knicks are reportedly no longer the favorites to land Simmons in free agency
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In [an Aug. 19 episode of SNY's "The Putback" show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaigIPhxXY8&t=50s), NBA insider Ian Begley responded to questions sent to him via social media about the Knicks' latest offseason rumors, one of which revolved around Simmons' chances of landing with the New York-based franchise.
Begley didn't express confidence in such a deal taking place.
"Logic tells me to take the field because there are so many different variables here for the Knicks," Begley said. "They have interest; other teams have interest. And they've got one spot, essentially, unless they make a trade to open up another roster spot. So, it seems to me, you're looking at Landry Shamet or a Ben Simmons-type player.
"There's real interest on both ends. Are the Knicks the favorite? I don't think so; I don't know how you would calculate that."
Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, is working towards reaching the same heights that placed him among the sport's rising stars just a few years ago. After missing his entire debut season due to a fractured metatarsal bone in his right foot, he went on to claim the league's Rookie of the Year Award the following campaign and play in three All-Star Games.
Injuries and a lengthy contract holdout have since held Simmons back, but a fresh start — at Madison Square Garden or elsewhere — could be exactly what he needs to return to form.