Shocking Twist: Ben Simmons Turns Down Knicks’ Contract—What’s Next for the Star Player?

Ben Simmons—what a saga, right? Here we are, once again, circling around the big question: Is he even interested in lacing up for the NBA this upcoming season? It’s the elephant in the room nobody wants to dodge. Stefan Bondy from the New York Post dug deep last week and hinted that Ben might be wavering on sticking around. Now, if you think his decision-making just got clearer, think again. The Knicks, one of the few teams curious enough to offer him a lifeline, tossed a one-year deal his way—and guess what? He shot it down. Marc Stein from The Stein Line broke that down for us, revealing that the offer was likely the minimum vet contract, roughly $3.2 million—and possibly not fully guaranteed. Tough pill to swallow, especially for a guy who hoped to land a more lucrative gig after bouncing between the Nets and Clippers last season. Then there’s Boston sniffing around, but their terms don’t seem world-shaking either. To add another twist, Ben’s parted ways with his agent, Bernie Lee, signaling something big might be brewing behind the scenes. At the end of it all, it boils down to this: does Simmons want to play this season? He knows the offers on the table—and honestly, they’re pretty transparent by now. The clock’s ticking, and so is Ben’s patience. LEARN MORE

The questions with Ben Simmons have to start here: Does he want to be in the NBA next season? He is questioning whether he wants to, something Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported last week.

If he does, this may not help his cause: He rejected a contract offer from the New York Knicks, one of the two teams known to have interest in him, reports Marc Stein at The Stein Line.

“The Knicks, league sources said, indeed offered a one-year contract to Ben Simmons that the former All-Star passed on. New York is limited to minimum contract offers as training camps draw near and Simmons entered the summer hopeful of securing a contract above the minimum after he split last season between the Nets and Clippers.”

We don’t know the details of that contract offer, but as Stein noted it could have only been for the veteran minimum ($3.2 million in his case) and likely was not fully guaranteed. It is doubtful there is a better offer for Simmons out there. Boston is reportedly interested, but the offer would be the same. Through this process, Simmons has reportedly moved on from his agent.

It all comes back to whether Simmons wants to pay in the NBA this season. We know what the contract offers will be, as does he.