Celtics, Knicks Expressed ‘Most Serious Interest’ In Ben Simmons

The Knicks offered unrestricted free agent Ben Simmons a one-year contract at some point this offseason, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, who reports that the LSU product passed on that proposal.

“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. Boston and New York, I’m told, expressed the most serious interest in Simmons this summer,” Stein wrote.

Although he accepted a rest-of-season minimum deal with the Los Angeles Clippers in February, Simmons reportedly doesn’t view himself as a minimum-salary player, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.

Ben Simmons Mulling NBA Retirement

This news also comes days after recent reports indicated that agent Bernie Lee parted ways with Simmons and that the 29-year-old is questioning whether he wants to continue his NBA career.

At this juncture, the Knicks and Celtics are the teams that could potentially add Simmons this summer. Boston would likely be capped at a minimum-salary offer due to the team’s cap situation.

Stein reported in July that Simmons had drawn interest from four teams.

“League sources say that the Suns have also had some recent dialogue with former All-Star Ben Simmons, who I’m told has drawn interest since free agency began from Boston, New York, and Sacramento,” Stein wrote.

Simmons was selected No. 1 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 draft. He won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2018, made three All-Star teams from 2019-21, and was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2021.

Injuries, Contract Holdout Led To Tumultuous Seasons

Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a contract holdout as well as a back injury that eventually required surgery. The Sixers later traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in Sept. 2022.

Per Basketball Reference, Simmons appeared in just 57 total games across his first two years with the Nets. He also underwent a second procedure on his back near the end of the 2023-24 season.

The 6-foot-10 guard had signed a maximum-salary rookie scale extension in 2019, but his deal was bought out by the Nets this February before joining the Clippers for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

In 51 games split between the Nets and Clippers last season, he averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 22 minutes per contest while shooting 52% from the field and 72.7% from the foul line.