Ben Simmons' Comeback: Draymond Green's Insights on Sacramento Kings Signing
Draymond Green has seen enough broken bodies and fragile careers to know a second chance when it walks back into the league. Ben Simmons, once an All-NBA force and now a reclamation project in Sacramento, is exactly that.
After a year away from the floor and years of battling back issues, Simmons has landed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings. It’s a modest contract for a player who once headlined franchises, but a significant step for someone who didn’t log a single minute last season and drifted into unrestricted free agency with serious questions hanging over his future.
Green, speaking on the latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” didn’t dance around how he feels about Simmons’ return.
“Number one, I'm happy to see Ben Simmons back in the NBA,” he said. “Simmons is a talent that — it doesn't grow on trees and we also don't get the opportunity to see in the NBA everyday.”
That talent has been buried under medical reports and doubt. Simmons’ back problems derailed his 2021-22 season in Philadelphia and never truly loosened their grip. While the league moved on, he shut it down, using the past year to let his body finally breathe and heal.
The Kings, watching closely this summer, saw enough to take a swing. Simmons ran through multiple offseason workouts, showing enough movement, energy, and commitment to convince Sacramento that the risk was worth the reward. They weren’t paying for the player he was; they were betting on the player he could still be.
Green believes the injuries explain why the former three-time All-Star has looked so far from his peak in recent years. In his view, this isn’t about a star who forgot how to play. It’s about a body that wouldn’t cooperate and a mind that had to carry that weight.
“The injuries aren't always nice,” Green said, noting he’d spoken directly with Simmons and sensed a renewed hunger to play. For a player whose game depends on explosiveness, versatility, and confidence, a compromised back doesn’t just limit movement. It seeps into everything. Green pointed to the mental strain of chronic back trouble, a burden he says Simmons has clearly carried.
Now, though, there’s a different energy. Simmons is back on a roster, back in a locker room, back in a league that had started to feel like it had moved on from him.
Why Sacramento Makes Sense
Sacramento doesn’t need Simmons to be a savior. De’Aaron Fox is the star. Domantas Sabonis is the fulcrum. The Kings wanted depth, size, playmaking, and a bit of edge. They also saw something else: a unique developmental environment for their young core.
That’s where Green’s analysis sharpens.
While he doesn’t necessarily see Simmons as a classic veteran leader, Green thinks his presence could be a quiet turning point for the Kings’ prized No. 7 pick, Darius Acuff Jr.
“When I look at this signing, I think this is great for Darius Acuff,” Green said. “You have a Ben Simmons who's eager to make it right, he's going to give you the game. And he's going to work his ass off. I think this is great for Darius Acuff. Let's face it, Ben Simmons is Ben Simmons.”
This is where Green’s perspective as both a star and a mentor comes through. He’s lived the grind of helping young guards adjust to the league, seen how much a rookie can gain from simply being around a veteran who has felt both the spotlight and the backlash.
Simmons has been an All-Star, an All-NBA selection, a lightning rod, and a punchline. He’s dealt with expectation, pressure, and criticism at a level most rookies can’t imagine. Green believes that experience, combined with Simmons’ renewed determination, can be invaluable for Acuff Jr. on and off the court.
There’s also a practical layer. Green pointed out that Simmons’ presence can act as something of a shield for the rookie. The Australian guard still draws attention—every move, every game, every misstep will be dissected. That noise, Green suggests, can take some of the glare off Acuff Jr. as he learns the league at his own pace.
For Sacramento, that’s a subtle but real advantage. Let the cameras follow Simmons. Let the questions swirl around his comeback. Let the rookie breathe.
The Kings haven’t signed Simmons to be a nostalgic project. They’ve brought in a 6-foot-10 playmaker who, if healthy, can still defend multiple positions, push the pace, and create for others in a way few big guards can. They’ve also imported a living, breathing case study in how quickly an NBA career can tilt—and how hard you have to fight to drag it back.
Green clearly thinks Simmons is ready for that fight. Now the question is simple: how much does he have left, and how far can that take both him and a young guard watching his every move?
