Ben Simmons may be a free agent here soon.
Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets are working on a potential contract buyout, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported after the NBA’s trade deadline on Thursday afternoon. It’s unclear when that buyout will be finalized, but the three-time All-Star is expected to be a free agent in the near future.
There are several teams apparently interested in him, too, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Sources tell me Ben Simmons, the three-time All-Star, and the Brooklyn Nets are working on a potential contract buyout to make him a free agent.”@ShamsCharania says the Clippers and the Cavs are potential suitors for Simmons 👀 pic.twitter.com/WqQvP2bi7o
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 6, 2025
Simmons was the 2016 No. 1 overall pick of the Philadelphia 76ers out of LSU, but he missed the 2016-17 season with a broken foot. He returned the next year to win Rookie of the Year and from 2018-21 earned three straight All-Star appearances. But Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 campaign amid his back injury, mental health concerns and holdout with the 76ers, which resulted in him finally being moved to the Nets after the tumultuous stretch with the franchise.
Since then, his career has largely been stagnant. He’s not played in more than 42 games per season since then while dealing with numerous injuries. Simmons has averaged 6.2 points and 6.9 assists in 33 games with the Nets this season, which is the final year of his five-year, $177 million deal. He’s set to be a free agent later this summer.
Though he’s not been the player he was at the beginning of his career, Simmons is off to perhaps his best — or at least most consistent — start since landing in Brooklyn this season. Charania reported that Simmons wants to land with a contender, which the Nets are not. They hold just a 17-34 record heading into Friday’s game against the Miami Heat, which is one of the worst records in the Eastern Conference.
Simmons could in theory provide valuable minutes with both the Cavaliers and the Clippers. Cleveland holds a league-best 41-10 record after a buzzer-beating win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night, and the Los Angeles Clippers are clinging on to the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference standings.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
