The Sacramento Kings are not expected to waive Ben Simmons despite the guard suffering a season-ending torn right Achilles tendon, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic.
Simmons sustained the injury during practice on Sunday, October 18, with an MRI confirming the tear. The setback ended his attempt to return to the NBA after a season away from the league, but Sacramento has a financial reason to keep him on the roster.
“The reason is the salary continuation rule, which states that injured players on non-guaranteed contracts must continue to be paid until they are healthy again,” Hollinger reported on Monday, October 19.
The rule does not apply to players on certain training-camp contracts, including Exhibit 9 and Exhibit 10 deals, whose protection is limited to $15,000. Simmons, however, signed a standard one-year minimum contract with Sacramento rather than that type of agreement.
“As a result, the Kings will have a $2.45 million salary for Simmons on their books all year regardless of whether they waive him,” Hollinger explained.
That makes releasing the 30-year-old unlikely to provide Sacramento with meaningful salary relief. Hollinger suggested the Kings could retain Simmons and potentially use his contract in a trade.
“The Kings, incidentally, are $3.1 million below the tax line, enough room that they could sign another player in the meantime to fill their open 15th roster spot,” Hollinger added.
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Keeping Simmons would allow Sacramento to preserve a potential trade asset while addressing its immediate roster needs. The Kings could also add another player without necessarily having to waive the injured guard.
Simmons joined Sacramento on a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum contract after missing the entire 2025-26 season. The three-time All-Star was working toward a comeback after undergoing back surgeries, and reports indicated he had impressed during training camp and the preseason before the injury.
He made two preseason appearances for the Kings. Against the San Antonio Spurs on October 17, Simmons recorded 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 26 minutes, shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
He also appeared against the Golden State Warriors on October 11, finishing with seven points and one assist in nine minutes.
Simmons last played during the 2024-25 season, when he split time between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists across 51 appearances.
Sacramento entered the 2026-27 season following a 21-61 campaign and a major roster reset. The Kings selected Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh overall pick and added Alex Karaban and Emanuel Sharp in the draft as they began building around a younger core.
