The New York Knicks have been heavily linked to Ben Simmons for the majority of the offseason. However, it appears that Simmons’ interest in coming to New York is nonexistent.
Per NBA insider Marc Stein, Simmons turned down a one-year contract offer from the Knicks. New York is only able to offer the minimum, and Simmons is looking for something a bit above the league minimum.
“The Knicks, league sources said, indeed offered a one-year contract to Ben Simmons that the former All-Star passed on,” Stein reported. “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.”
Simmons can still provide an impact as a reserve
Simmons is one of the better reserve players available on the open market. While he isn’t the same All-Star player he once was with the Philadelphia 76ers, Simmons can still provide value off the bench. Last season, in time split between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers last season, he averaged 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in 51 games (24 starts).
The Knicks will now focus their attention elsewhere after missing out on Simmons. The team still needs to fill its final roster spot with the offseason coming to a close in the coming weeks, so they’ll need to be diligent in their final search. They’ve also been linked to Russell Westbrook, and Landry Shamet among others as their search winds down.
