The New York Knicks have one final spot left on their 15-man roster for the new season and multiple names have been linked in recent days. Earlier this week, Marc Stein of The Stein Line had reported that New York offered a one-year contract to none other than three-time All-Star Ben Simmons.
However, according to the report, the Australian had rejected the deal after previously being reported to be looking for a contract above the minimum. This has since been said to be untrue, with multiple Knicks insiders claiming that the franchise never made a formal offer.
“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,” Ian Begley wrote on X.
The insider also claimed that Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet were instead the names the Knicks have considered for that final roster spot. Last season, Simmons averaged 5.0, 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists across 51 appearances for the Nets and the Clippers.
He was paid just north of a million as part of the deal he signed with the Clippers after Brooklyn had previously bought out the remainder of his contract that he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2025. Now, reports even claim that the 2016 NBA draft’s No. 1 pick is reportedly considering his NBA future.
Simmons was reported to have been dropped by his agent Bernie Lee earlier this month. Brian Windhorst had noted that the 29-year-old may have to settle for a non-guaranteed contract.
While Simmons is undoubtedly no longer the same player, the Knicks are still in the market for a bench scorer. They have worked in the offseason to improve their depth already with the additions of Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson. However, Simmons is very unlikely to join that list, and looks likely to enter training camp without signing with an NBA team.
