Last offseason, the New York Knicks reportedly offered a one-year deal to point guard Ben Simmons, a proposal the veteran ultimately turned down in favor of a year-long sabbatical to fully rehab his chronic back injuries and get his mental and physical health in order.
Now, following his season-long hiatus, the 30-year-old has teased an interest in making an NBA comeback on his personal Instagram account, and, per reports, "several" teams across the league have shown an interest in taking a swing at him.
Might the Knicks be one of these said teams?
Knicks have an opportunity to finally land Ben Simmons
While there's no real intel that suggests New York is one of the clubs keeping tabs on Simmons, clearly this same front office was intrigued by the idea of bringing his talents aboard for the 2025-26 season.
There's no reason to think they wouldn't still be curious about attaining his services for 2026-27.
Frankly, the logic behind another pursuit of Simmons this summer is rather sound.
Right now, the defending champions are equipped with a vacant roster spot, are able to shell out a veteran minimum, and, by all accounts, are looking to use it on someone who can help flesh out their frontcourt depth.
In fact, it is widely believed that the Knicks are set to hold a roster battle come next month's training camp for their third-string big man position, and are eligible to sign as many as eight players to camp deals for the tryout.
Simmons could be an incredibly interesting experimental target to chase with one of these available offers.
While he may have spent the majority of his playing career to date slotting in at the one, considering his 6-foot-10, 240-pound frame, from a physical standpoint, he's more than capable of slotting in at either the four or five. His established All-Defensive chops should also help him hold his own if he were used more often as a big within the rotation.
The only real question mark about his fit as a backup four or five would be on the offensive side of the ball, as he's a truly abysmal shooter who sports a 13.9 percent long-range shooting clip and has seen just 9.3 percent of his total career shot attempts come from outside the painted area.
However, Simmons is one of the best passing talents the game has to offer and is a highly reliable ball handler.
Considering Mike Brown's Knicks are well known for their off-ball motions, having someone like Simmons (averages 7.2 assists per game for his career) who can effortlessly find the open man could prove to be rather beneficial, particularly in four-out, one-in sets. On top of this, his addition could help superstar Jalen Brunson come across more off-ball scoring opportunities.
At the very least, the Knicks should consider the idea of floating Simmons a training camp invite. The idea of having his return to the pros come with the reigning champions could be enough for him to put his ego aside and strive to earn his spot back in the association.
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