The Sacramento Kings were dealt a major blow over the weekend when it was revealed that veteran Ben Simmons had sustained a season-ending Achilles injury. Simmons had been out of the NBA for a year before attempting to make a comeback with the Kings. And by all accounts, he was well on his way to doing just that.

But with Ben Simmons now unable to play following the injury, the question then becomes, do the Kings keep him on the roster, or do they actually cut him and sign a player who can help the team in the immediacy? The former No. 1 overall pick was signed to a non-guaranteed contract, but don’t expect the Kings to waive him anytime soon, as per John Hollinger of The Athletic.

Although Simmons’ deal is not guaranteed, since he is injured, he is still due his salary until he becomes healthy again. And in case the Kings want a player who can play right away, they are still below the tax line enough that if they wanted to sign someone to fill their 15th roster spot, they could technically do so.

Hollinger suggests that the Kings could ultimately look to include Simmons’ salary in a trade. His contact for this season was for a little under $2.5 million.

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Prior to this season, the Australian native last played in the league with the LA Clippers in 2024-25. He appeared in 18 games at a little over 16 minutes per game while averaging 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

The Kings reportedly had big plans for him this season, potentially starting him alongside lottery pick Darius Acuff Jr.