The former No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft found a new home in Los Angeles.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the LA Clippers are expected to sign three-time All-Star Ben Simmons as a free agent when they clear the exemption.
Simmons, 28, will head to the third professional team in nine seasons. He was drafted as the top pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons (10) hits the ball in front of Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Pool (3) and Anthony Lamb (40) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New York on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 . (AP photo/Frank Franklin II)
The Australian-born 6-foot-10-point guard was touted as a generational outlook, but failed to meet the lofty expectations he placed on after one college season at LSU. Simmons got off to a great start and was named All-Star in three straight seasons after his Rookie of the Year campaign.
He was considered one of the greatest defensive players in the league, but he never put together a solid offensive game. After missing the entire 2021-2022 season with a back injury, Simmons was traded for the Brooklyn Nets as part of a deal that landed now-based James Harden in Philadelphia.
In two and a half seasons as a net, Simmons only played 90 of his 246 games. He averaged 6.5 points per game during that period.
Net acquired his contract this week after the NBA trading deadline came.
He now joins the Clippers team and does not have to play as a starter, but can play alongside a cast of shotmakers like Harden and Norman Powell.
The terms of his deal were not immediately clear late Saturday morning.
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