SOURCE: FORMER ALL-STAR Ben Simmons agrees to join Kings on one-year deal

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2:00list Ivan, two, three keys in today's emergency podcast. Hit that thumbs up button while we get to those keys to help with the algorithm of life. Ben Simmons agrees to join the Sacramento Kings. We're going to hit that in block one and block two. We're going to talk about why this might work. In block three, we're going to talk about how the Kings view Simmons. We might actually switch some of those around. All right. The news broke early on Friday, 6.30 AM. I was getting up to get on ESPN 1320 where I was filling in on Thursday and Friday. He'll help them out. My guy is Jesse Tapia and Kyle Madsen. Before a lot of people were even awake on the West Coast and out of bed, that Ben Simmons is a Sacramento King. Of course, Sean Morania from ESPN was first with the news, but this has been hanging out there for a while. A league source has confirmed that Simmons and the Kings are in agreement on a one year, $3.5 million contract is yet to sign, but an agreement is in place.

3:04He visited Sacramento earlier in the week for a workout and physical. There is no word on whether this contract is fully guaranteed or not. But it's been a little quiet on that avenue. And usually if it's not fully guaranteed, we hear about it relatively quick. So we're going to have to wait on that. Again, this isn't a huge surprise. We did a show on Simmons exactly one week ago. In the middle of taping, I was hit with the text saying that this was likely to happen, that he was coming in for a workout and all that stuff. It's fun when these things unfold in real time. And shout out to that source that they hit me up last week and was spot on realistically. So for those of you, capologists out there, which of course, I am a capologist. And if you'd like to listen to the salary cap breakdowns, this is a league minimum contract for Simmons years of service in the league. He will count roughly 2.2 million against the salary cap.

4:06So not a huge hit for the team that is barely under the tax after using Distretch for Vision on Demar DeRoson's 10 million dollar contract just a few days ago. So let's dive into Simmons a little bit. He's a 30 year old multi-positional player. He's super intriguing. He always has been. It's why he was the number one pick in the 2000 or the 2016 NBA draft. He sat out last season after finishing the 24 or 25 season with the Los Angeles glippers. And that of course came after a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets. He had signed a league minimum deal with to finish out the season with the glippers. His numbers aren't anything to write home about in his last season in the league. But again, that was over a year ago. So Simmons got away from the game to Claire's head. He spent a lot of time fishing from everything that we know, which is the past time that he might be able to pick up here in Sacramento.

5:08There are a ton of good fishing spots, including the lake I live on, but also Sacramento River and their sturgeon. Sam and there's all kinds of good stuff here. So maybe that's something that he picks up. He joins the Kings with career averages of 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists over 383 games. He's missed major time with back injuries, including his first true season in the NBA after again being the first overall pick in 2016. It's been a long litany of injuries and even a season where he held out partially in Philadelphia until they eventually traded him. So with this addition, the Kings roster now sits at 14 players. They have enough cap space to fit another league minimum contract underneath and still say under the luxury tax from my math, but whether they're going to do that or not, like who knows, this is going to be a really interesting way that they're putting this team together.

6:14And look, I think when it comes to Simmons, there's a lot of intrigue. He's again, 6'10", 240 pounds. He can play the one, the two, the three, the four, and the five. He is not a good shooter, which is something that we'll dive into in the next block. But realistically, there are a lot of things that he does do that are very good. And the defensive side of the ball, he's spectacular. The offensive side of the ball, he can be spectacular as well. He just, the fact that he doesn't shoot doesn't mean that he can't pass. He's an excellent passer. Towed it as a 6'10", point guard out of Australia coming into the league. He's played a ton at that position, but he's also played a ton at every position. And that is, he's going to be true, the true one through five defensive players that we've seen in the league. He's also one of the true one through five offensive players that we've seen in the league. And again, I don't know how this is all going to work out for the Kings, but for right

7:16now, they are getting a player that at least should be intriguing to everybody. The group of players that they're looking at before, the Victor Oledipo, Alfred Peyton, you know, campaign, I think this probably puts an end to a lot of that. Although there's always a possibility that the Kings do bring in one or two of those guys to see if they still have anything just to get up to a 15 man roster. Clearly it would be on a non-garen-garen-teed contract for some of these players who haven't played in the league in a year or two years or three years. So some of the guys trying to get back into the league, maybe there's another opportunity here. But this is a guy that the Kings chased forever. It's a guy that the Kings almost made a massive trade four years ago when they were trying to move the air in Fox. I mean, not the air in Fox. They were trying to move to add him to the line up with the air in Fox. Monument there went all the way to Philadelphia with the team to try to work something out with

8:19Darryl Morey. I think it was something like Buddy Heald and Harrison Barnes for Ben Simmons, maybe some draft capital. It never worked out. And again, at that point, when we're looking at Simmons, he was a high-risk, high-reward player, right? If you're making $38 million or $36 million or you still are owed $120 million on your contract and you have back injuries and maybe, you know, some issues with whether you want to play all that much, then, you know, that's a huge risk when you're signing a league minimum deal. All of a sudden, that's not a risk. That's actually a very low risk, a high-reward proposition, which is why Scott Perry is diving into this adventure. Again, prudent opportunistic. This goes under opportunistic because, again, Ben Simmons is only 30 years old and that's something I want to keep making sure people are 30 years old, as I'm playing the league for a year, didn't play his work-e season.

9:20So really, we're looking at 383 career games over seven seasons in the league. And that's why his league minimum contract is at 3.5, not higher, not lower. That's first years of service. Also, with this addition, the King's roster does sit at 14. So after personally complaining about the King's lack of size and athleticism at the 3 and the 4 for the last decade, this is one of those guys. The King's now have, again, a bevy of players that they can use at these positions. Keegan Murray, pressure Sotua, Deandre Hunter, and now Ben Simmons. Again, he's, we'll get into what his role will be with the King's in a couple of minutes, but there is a potential for him to play at every single spot on the floor this year. And we're just going to have to see how Doug Christie uses him to mix and match. But it gave Doug Christie another high-level defender that can really pass.

10:24That's a really strong rebounder that is a great steel guy on top of being a good defender. Super, super switchable on the defensive end, limitations on the offensive end, which are well documented. But, you know, look, I think the fact that he plays all five positions on the floor, he can switch on defense, he can provide an extra facilitator at multiple positions is all a plus. This could be a win-win. It could also be a situation that doesn't work out, we don't know. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? So let's step aside. When we come back, how does Ben Simmons fit with this act of mental kinks? Support for today's episode comes from Square, the system powering so many of the places we already know and love. Whether you're running a packed game day spot or local restaurant or growing a business, Square gives sellers the tools to run their business without making things more complicated.

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13:32Learn more at Creightonbarrow.com slash podcast. That's create and barrel.com slash podcast. All right, locked on Kings is part of the locked on podcast network. Now the number one sports podcast network. Thanks for making us your first. Listen up the day. How exactly is this going to work? Ben Senns can do just about everything on the court except shoot. There are some rumors out there that he has been working on his three point shot. But we are literally talking about a player who in 383 career games has taken a total of 36 three point shots. He hasn't taken a three point shot in the NBA since the 2022 23 season beam team one. And he hasn't hit a three since the 2020 21 season one. He hit three. I am not joking when I say this, but Dylan Cardwell has one less made three pointer than Ben Simmons in the 2020s.

14:34Rookie Dylan Cardwell center can't you free throws, but has two made threes. Ben Simmons has three. So if we move past the shooting issue, there's a lot that Simmons can do on the on the court. He can defend one through five. Not in the way that Willie Collie Stein always said he could defend one through five. Ben Simmons can actually defend one through five in a functional way. At least he could the last time we saw him playing major minutes in the NBA. It's been a long time. He is an elite defender. He was named an all NBA defender twice. He also finished second and fourth in the defensive player of the year. Balloting so it was again, it was a long time ago, but it doesn't change the fact that it happened. Ben Simmons was so impactful as a defensive player that he made three consecutive all star teams and check this out. He made an all star team averaging 16.9 points per game 16.4 points per game and 14.3 points per game.

15:41So a player in the modern NBA made an all star team while averaging just 14.3 points per game, which is pretty much unheard of. That just tells you the level of defensive acumen that he has. Again, he can not only can he play all five positions on the defensive end and switchable with all five positions. He can also play one through five on the offensive end, which is a rare thing in the NBA. I used how did as a natural point guard coming out of coming out of college at LSU. Those skills are still intact. He averaged 7.2 assists per game for his career and a lot of that is lowered because of some of the seasons that he didn't play all that much. His per 36 numbers are something like 8.3 assists per game. He's also a solid rebounder. He averaged 7.4 rebounds per game for his career.

16:42Again, consider roughly 8.6 rebounds per game per 36. He's also a player that has led the league in steals and had 2.1 steals per game one season. He averages 0.7 blocks per game for his career. Not just a lockdown defender, but also someone that can play passing lanes. Someone that can actually stand next to, potentially stand next to the Duma and Sabona. Although there would be some compatibility issues because of the lack of 3-point shooting. But certainly a player that can do a ton of different things on the court. Again, I don't know how it would work with Sabona, but what I do like is if for so long when Sabona steps off the court, if you're trying to run a specific style of offense through Sabona, the Kings usually had issues with that translating to the next player. One of the biggest issues the Kings had last season was that when Duma and Sabona got hurt, they had no one else on the roster that was remotely close to like him.

17:44And that's a problem when you design an offense to go through a player and then he's not there. Again, Max, right now I'm not going to expect him or Dylan Cardwell to be the type of passer that the Duma and Sabona is. Drew U-Banks is just not that player at all who is again the back of center last season. So when Sabona's only played 19 games, the Kings were a train wreck. Their offensive system fell apart very quickly. I think when we're looking at Ben Simmons joining the team, there is a possibility that when Sabona steps off the court, you might be able to continue to run the team through Simmons in the same way you ran it through Sabona. Not the same exact style of player, but certainly a guy that can play one through five. And I also like the idea of him playing at maybe the small forward position and surrounding him with a bunch of guards. Surrounding him with, you know, you can go small, you can go, you can go big with a lineup with, you know, again,

18:48you want to go defensive, you can go something like Kig and Murray and DeAndre Hunter and Ben Simmons and Dylan Cardwell and, you know, either Nick Clifford or Emmanuel Sharp. You want to go small. I think there's all kinds of capabilities here, but again, remember the switchability thing that we're talking about. The fact that Kig and Murray placed a three and the four. The fact that precious to Chua showed last year that he can probably defend the three, the four and the five. Now you have another guy in Ben Simmons to go with another player in DeAndre Hunter, Hunter Solid Defender, not out of this world defender, but a solid defender. All of a sudden the Kings have the size athleticism defensive acumen style of play, maybe to surround them on a subonus to make sure that he's not a target all the time. I also think Simmons can move to the shooting guard position and really help this team. The fact that he's not a shooter might cause some problems with spacing and everything else.

19:51But the fact that he can take on the most difficult cover in the back court would really take a lot of pressure off of a player like Darius A-Cuff. It would also give the Kings a secondary player to bring the ball up in, you know, potentially the starting lineup or off the bench. We don't really know what kind of role he's going to have at this point. Again, the shooting is going to always be a problem, but according to a team source, Simmons will be asked to play minutes behind Darius A-Cuff Jr. at the point. But the team also envisioned simply with A-Cuff or stretches in a lot of ways. He is the anti-A-Cuff. Six foot ten point guard versus a six foot two point guard and defensive player versus an offensive player in A-Cuff. A-Cuff is a three point shooter. Ben Simmons is a non three point shooter. Darius A-Cuff doesn't rebound. Ben Simmons is actually a very, very good rebound. What they do have in common though is that they both set up their teammates for open looks. They're both very good, very good passers.

20:54So the expectations from what I'm hearing from the Kings side is they expect Simmons to provide more size and additional ball handler and just defensive versatility. I can again envision all of these different styles of light ups that Doug Christie can use. Whether he finds one that works really well or five that work really well and actually give the Kings some potential to find success here, I'm not sure. But this is a versatile player that the Kings are bringing in that can literally play any position on the floor on Bolton's of the court, which is again a unicorn situation. At the NBA level. There are concerns about Simmons's want to play basketball, which I think are fair and very warranted. There are also concerns about his three point shot. There are concerns with his back issue that played him early in his career. But there is also a rookie of the year award winner at three time All Star and Elite Defender and great passer hiding in there.

22:02This is one of the rarest types of players in the league. He players that can play again both all five positions on Bolton's of the court. So maybe this works out and he sticks around Sacramento for a few years. Maybe it works out and Simmons finds his game, but the Kings are not very good as a whole. And that might open the possibility that at the trade deadline that the Kings could move in Simmons for assets, which at this point, the Kings has very few assets. So maybe he could help out another team if it's not working out in Sacramento, but he's playing well. Either way, I think this is a low risk high reward pickup. He might not be the mentor that the Kings need behind A-Cuff, but sometimes he need to take a gamble and that's what it feels like Scott Perry is doing with this. All right, let's step aside. We're going to talk more about how Darius A-Cuff might fit in Sacramento. We'll be right back.

23:04Support for today's episode comes from Indeed Sponsored Jobs. When workplace chaos hits and you need the right hire, Indeed Sponsored Jobs helps connect employers with candidates who match specific needs with skills, certificates, and locations. So at less time, get spent searching and more time, get spent finding the right fit. People are finding quality hires on Indeed right now. In the minute, I've been talking to you. Companies like yours have made 27 hires on Indeed, according to Indeed Data Worldwide. Whether it's deadlines piling up too much on one person's plate or trying to scale something quickly, the right person can completely change how a team operates. And that's why getting in front of qualified candidates matter. This issue might be even, you know, the reason the kings took so long to find this backup point guard that they've been searching for position matters. The fact of versatility matters. Whether you've been sentenced can be a mentor or not. That might not matter either. This is a

24:10a by-low candidate and every roster spot in the NBA is extremely valuable. And they may have found a diamond in the rough in a 30 year old former All Star. We'll have to wait and see. So spend less time searching more time, actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes, less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. And listeners to this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job. The premium status it deserves at indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to indeed.com slash podcasts right now. And support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply need to hire. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Not every sale happens at the register. Before AT&T Business Wireless, customer checkout would take too long and create awkward delays. At one point, completing a transaction felt less like making a sale and more like a staring contest no one wanted to win. Now with AT&T

25:13Business Wireless, transactions happen fast, helping us to keep things moving. That means less time spent dealing with delays and more time staying focused on the day ahead. When the connection matters, it has to be AT&T. Get AT&T Business at AT&T.com slash 5G Network. All right, in his right up on the Ben Simmons transaction, Sam Amick, our friend from the athletic dropped an interesting line. He said, the Kings weren't the only team considering Simmons as a league source, says the Nix and Warriors were also in the mix. Simmons chose the Kings over the Warriors and Nix. The Nix won the championship last year. The Warriors who are at the end of a dynasty, but still a very, very dangerous team with Steph Curry and Dremont Green and maybe Jimmy Butler at some point during the season, but Chris Staps for Zingus. I think this is an interesting twist.

26:15I, but I also think it's the right move for Ben Simmons over the years because it's been years that the Kings were interested in acquiring Simmons. I have made the claim that Sacramento would be a perfect spot for Ben to land. And I think it's pretty simple. In the basketball world, Sacramento is an outpost. It's, it's obscurity in my opinion. Obscurity is exactly what Ben Simmons needs to get his career back on the right path. Sacramento isn't Philly where the fans are well-known to shower hate down upon their own players. It happens all the time and not just in the NBA, but in the NFL, in hockey, in baseball, they are an angry group of fans. And Ben Simmons seemed to catch their eye for a couple of years and became a poster child for everything that was wrong with the 76ers. Joel and Bede and Doc Rivers did not help Ben Simmons in this aspect at all when they

27:19threw him under the bus after a playoff loss, right? Then he goes on to Brooklyn. And Brooklyn is still part of the bright lights of New York City. It, it isn't, you know, it isn't the nicks, but it's still very bright lights and a lot of media exposure, a lot of being on sports center each and every night, right? Then after that, he goes to the Clippers. And so basically we're looking at three cities where Simmons has been his entire career under super, super bright lights and super, super intense scrutiny. I don't think that that was good for him as a player. And that's where I think that Sacramento can be different for him. Kings fans are different. They embrace their players, they have chance for their players. They support a franchise that is often, more often than not completely done them wrong, like realistically. But for as many people out there that might be

28:20frustrated that maybe Kagan Murray, the number four pick in the draft hasn't reached his heights as a player and hasn't become a, you know, go to score and, you know, lived up to the building of a number four overall pick. I will tell you this anytime in Sacramento, someone yells Kagan, everyone in the bar says Murray. And that's because Kings fans embrace their, their guys. So, again, I think the Kings aren't expected to win much of the season, even after acquiring Simmons. So maybe that aspect could take the wind out of his sales a little bit, playing for a team that is not going to win a ton of games, although he did do that a little bit in Brooklyn, right? But he'll get an opportunity that is different here and it might be enough to get him back on track for a career that in the beginning look like he was destined for greatness. So, not every fan in Sacramento is excited about this signing. I get it. I'm not going to tell you how to fan. But when

29:21the season starts, Simmons will get a fresh start and a fresh chance to win everyone over in Sacramento. That's how Kings fans are. If the Kings are as bad as Vegas or ESPN predicts, there will be booze from the fan base, but they will likely be aimed at the situation. The franchise is in, maybe even at ownership, but not on a newly signed league minimum player like Ben Simmons. So, maybe I'm painting too lovely of a picture here, but I'm also someone who can appreciate a good redemption story. Maybe Simmons isn't searching for redemption, but after media day and the first week or two of the season, the Kings will settle into a standard NBA flow and the loudness of of his arrival will fade very quickly. When all of that happens, Simmons will get an opportunity to be a basketball player again, but in a situation where every mystery point shot or blown layup won't be on sports center. He will not be scrutinized in the same way that he would be in

30:25New York or Philly or LA. It's just the reality of the situation. This is a place where, sure, Sacramento can be a basketball hell. Thank you, Rudy Gay. But it can also be a place where NBA players find their home and get embraced by a community that loves their team and loves their Kings. I've seen it, especially even over the last five or six years, watching Demonus subbonus be embraced, watching Trey Lyles demand that he comes back in for the agency, watching Precious Attu-o walk back in the door last year without even going out and looking for a bunch of new jobs. He loved it here and he found a home here. So, maybe that's an aspect that can really help in this whole situation. I also think Coach Patrick that used to be at Sac State has huge ties to Ben Simmons. I believe he's his godfather and I'm sure he spoke blowingly about his

31:27experience here in Sacramento during his time at Sacramento State. So, again, this is a good basketball town. It's a town where people love their team and where you're not going to get a ton of media exposure on the national stage. Maybe that works out for Ben Simmons. Maybe it allows him to reset his career and become some of the player that he was like on his pathway to be being. So, that again, maybe this doesn't work out, but at the same time Scott Perry's got to do what he can to get this team to next off season, get this team to the season after that when the books are basically clean and he can finish the build in his own image. Until then, you're going to have some gambles. Gambles like this, which last season it was Russell Wasbrook that worked out pretty well for the Kings. Even if they didn't win a bunch of games, it still gave them a player that they can put posters out with and that actually performed really well on the court. I think the

32:27same thing could happen here for Ben Simmons. If his head is right, if his back is right, his body's right and he's ready to contribute. So, we're going to have to wait and see. The about is intriguing a league minimum signing as we've seen since last year when they signed Russell Wasbrook. So, all right, thanks for tuning in. Make sure to follow me on social media at James Underscore Ham, NBA. Make sure you subscribe and follow Lockdown Kings. So, you get all the latest episodes, hit the notification button so you get alert of when we post. Thank you for making Lockdown. Your Lockdown Kings, your first listen every day for your second listen, Find the Lockdown NBA podcast where there is no offseason West, Matt and Hayes keep you updated on contract negotiations, rumors, and everything you need to be the most informed NBA fan. Find Lockdown NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts, it's part of the Lockdown podcast network. Your team, every day. We'll see you in a couple of days. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend. Enjoy. Have a good time.

33:37So, if you've ever furnished a restaurant, hotel or an office, you know the drill. Five vendors, five invoices, five delivery windows. But there's a better way to do this. Creighton Barrel Contract is a business to business program that covers three brands. Creighton Barrel, CB2, and Creighton Kids with one account, one order, one delivery. They've got durable plates and glasses, contract grade furniture, and lighting that looks custom that's built for the wear of busy space actually takes. And the best part is you're not doing it alone. A dedicated rep handles your project end to end, from volume orders to design curation. Plus, members get 20% off, tax exempt checkout, and flexible payment with no minimums. Learn more at Creightonbarrel.com slash podcast. That's Creightonbarrel.com slash podcast. Thank you for making Lockdown your first listen every day. For your second listen, find the Lockdown NBA podcast where there's no off season. West Matten Hayes keep you up to date on contract negotiations, rumors, and everything you need to be the most informed NBA fan.

34:43Find Lockdown NBA on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day.