One Marquee Team Still Has 'Serious Interest' in Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons has a serious suitor in free agency

There aren't many fanbases around the NBA that are anxious to see their team sign Ben Simmons. And for any team he does sign with, safe to say it wouldn't take much to trigger a full-on hate-on by the fans. Examples include: refusal to take open shots; showing sheer indifference on the court; and continuous trips to the injured list.

All of which is why it's surprising that Simmons would be considering a return to New York, this time across the river with the Knicks. Fans in Brooklyn were more than fed up with the perennial malcontent, why would those in Manhattan (or any of the other boroughs) feel any different?

Yet, here we are, with SNY's Ian Begley reporting again on Thursday that Simmons is "certainly a candidate for the Knicks’ final roster spot."

The New York Knicks continue to show ‘strong’ interest in Ben Simmons, per @IanBegley

“Ben Simmons is certainly a candidate for the Knicks’ final roster spot. As of earlier this week, New York continued to show strong interest in signing Simmons as teams in on Simmons await his… pic.twitter.com/2XAHdQXLwn
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 31, 2025

"As of earlier this week, New York continued to show strong interest in signing Simmons as teams in on Simmons await his decision", wrote Begley (h/t Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report).

With the Nets for two and a half years, Simmons missed far more games than he played, appearing in a total of 90 contests, and averaging just 6.5 points—nearly 10 points below his normal averages during his All-Star seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. He did put up 6.2 rebounds per game and 6.3 assists in his time in Brooklyn, and there are some teams that still see him as a good option off the bench for his defense and playmaking abilities. It's just a matter of having to deal with the rest of the package that comes along with it.

The former first overall pick (2016 NBA Draft) was a three-time All-Star with the Sixers, before his world came crashing down after an embarrassing playoff incident in 2021, when he passed up a wide-open layup over fear of being fouled and having to shoot free throws (where he's averaged 59% in his career). He was roasted over the coals for that move, and his relationship with Sixers head coach Doc Rivers and superstar teammate Joel Embiid completely went into the tank when they refused to come to his defense.

Simmons sat out the following season, holding out for a trade, which finally came at the 2022 deadline. But when he eventually returned to the court another eight months later, he was a shell of the player he once was.

We'll see if he decides to take on the bright lights of Broadway in another attempt at resurrecting his career. There have been a couple of other teams linked to interest in Simmons as well.