The Ben Simmons saga with the New York Knicks appeared to be over after insider Marc Stein reported on Monday that the former All-Star rejected a contract offer from New York. However, he may not have been offered a contract after all.
Knicks reportedly didn’t offer Ben Simmons a contract
SNY’s Ian Begley reported later Monday night that Simmons was never offered a contract despite the two being linked for most of the offseason.
“Knicks have had dialogue with free agent Ben Simmons over the course of the offseason and certainly have had interest in him, but club has never made a formal offer to Simmons, per league sources. Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon among those on NYK radar for its lone roster spot,” Begley posted on X.
Simmons has been linked as a candidate to sign for the veteran’s minimum, as that is the only type of contract that the Knicks can afford right now without going over the second apron. The Knicks have already signed two free agents this summer in Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele.
New York’s interest in the former No. 1 overall pick signals that they viewed him as a potential depth option. Simmons cannot score at a high rate, but he is still a productive defender and a solid playmaker.
The Knicks are looking for players who can provide offense
Last season with the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers, he averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. He mostly played in a bench role with those teams, but he never showed signs of breaking out into a key piece again.
New York clearly has their eyes set on pieces that can be better fits for its system. Landry Shamet or Malcolm Brogdon make perfect sense thanks to their offensive capabilities.
Training camp is less than three weeks away, so it may not be much longer before the Knicks finally have their final roster spot filled out.