The Boston Celtics have reportedly shown interest in one of the NBA’s most polarizing, enigmatic players.
According to league insider Marc Stein, the Celtics are one of several teams that are looking into the possibility of signing free-agent point guard Ben Simmons. Stein wrote Sunday at his Substack that Simmons “has drawn interest since free agency began from Boston, New York and Sacramento.”
Simmons most recently played for the Los Angeles Clippers, playing 18 games with zero starts and averaging 16.4 minutes. He posted per-game averages of 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 0.7 steals, while shooting 43.4% from the field. He’s been a controversial name in recent years — call it “basketball controversy” — as he’s struggled, for a number of reasons, to live up to the hype he had as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Now 29 years old, Simmons hasn’t been able to stick with a team, bouncing around between the 76ers, Nets, and Clippers over the past five years. He infamously sat out the entire 2021-22 season, citing mental health as a major factor. He seems to have been in a better place since departing Philadelphia.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
Ben Simmons of the Los Angeles Clippers walks backcourt during a game.
However, Simmons hasn’t exactly evolved as a player. He’s never going to be a great shooter, as he can be efficient on 2-pointers around the basket but brings no value from 3-point range. He can still rebound, facilitate and defend, and even showed improvement as a free-throw shooter in L.A. (85.7% from the charity stripe for the Clips in 2024-25).
Signing Simmons could possibly signify a change in play style for Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics, but it’s unlikely they would come close to abandoning their 3-point-heavy principles. Simmons wouldn’t start over Derrick White or probably even Payton Pritchard, at this point, but could be a valuable bench piece as a passer and rebounder, and take open looks at the hoop when he can get them. Based on the other teams interested in him (Knicks, Kings), it’s likely his only possible role is as a backup for a playoff hopeful.
Most importantly for the Celtics right now, Simmons wouldn’t be expensive. It’s clear that the C’s are seeking high-value additions, a bang for the buck. If Simmons accepts an obvious reserve role, he could provide that.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.