Ben Simmons Tears Achilles in Practice, Kings Comeback Over Before Tip-Off
Simmons signed a one-year, $3.5M deal and was set to start opening night. A torn right Achilles now likely wipes out his entire 2026-27 season.
Likely out all season with a torn Achilles — zero redraft value.
- Tore right Achilles in Sunday practice
- Signed 1-yr, $3.5M deal last month
- Averaged 10.5/4.5/4.0 in 2 preseason games
- Was slated to start opening night vs Clippers
- Hadn't played NBA ball since 2024-25 (51 games)
Ben Simmons' NBA comeback is over before it ever really started. The Sacramento Kings announced that the three-time All-Star tore his right Achilles tendon during practice on Sunday, and he's now likely to miss the entire 2026-27 season. The team didn't attach a recovery timeline, but a torn Achilles at 30 rarely means a quick return.
The timing is brutal. Simmons signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal last month and was penciled into Sacramento's starting five for Wednesday's opener against the Clippers. He'd looked the part in the preseason too, posting 10.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists across two exhibition games. Then one practice rep ended all of it.
This was supposed to be the feel-good story of the Kings' season. Simmons sat out all of 2025-26 rehabbing lingering back and leg issues, talked openly about wanting back in the league, and even traveled to Melbourne over the summer to join Australia's player-led minicamp — his first national-team involvement since 2013. He bet on himself, chose Sacramento over reported interest from the Knicks and Warriors, and earned the starting job. Now the Achilles has the final word.
What It Means On The Court
Simmons was starting next to Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis, which pushed DeAndre Hunter — acquired at last season's deadline — to the bench. That math just flipped. Hunter is the obvious beneficiary, likely sliding back into the starting unit with a real minutes bump.
Simmons was never the scorer here; he was the connective tissue — a point-forward meant to orchestrate and defend while LaVine and Sabonis carried the load. His last real NBA sample, the 2024-25 season, tells the story: 5.0 points, 5.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds across 51 games split between Brooklyn and the Clippers. Sacramento will now hand those playmaking reps to the backcourt and lean harder on Sabonis as the hub.
The Fantasy Fallout
Let's be blunt about Simmons himself. He sat at #205 overall in our rankings (#97 at the position), coming off a 20.6 fantasy points per game actual mark in 2024-25, and his last five games before sitting out trended 15 fantasy points below his own average. He was a deep-league dart throw at best. An Achilles tear erases even that.
The winners are the Kings who absorb his usage. Sabonis is the biggest, already a monster at 36.2 fantasy points per game in his injury-shortened 2025-26 (19 games) and trending up 2.9 over his last five — more offense runs through him now. LaVine (27.1 FPTS/G in 39 games last season, our #122) gets a cleaner path to the ball, and Keegan Murray (30.0 FPTS/G in 23 games last season, our #94) should see his touches stabilize despite a rough recent stretch (-7.5 over his last five).
The real sleeper add is DeAndre Hunter. A move into the starting lineup with expanded minutes makes him a priority waiver target in all formats this week — grab him before your leaguemates do the same math.
For anyone who gambled a late-round pick on the Simmons comeback: cut bait. He's an immediate drop in every redraft format, and there's no wait-and-see angle when the likely outcome is a lost season. Reinvest the roster spot in Hunter and move on.
