The Los Angeles Clippers have dodged a bullet. Just when you thought Ben Simmons couldn’t make headlines for anything weirder than refusing to dunk on Trae Young, here we are talking about his agent basically ghosting him. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Bernie Lee has officially told the National Basketball Players Association to remove his name from the ledger as Simmons’ representative. You know what they say about rats and sinking ships, right?
The Agent Exodus Continues
This isn’t exactly shocking news if you’ve been following the Simmons soap opera. The former number one pick has now burned through more agents than the Los Angeles Clippers have blown playoff leads. First, he parted ways with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports back in March 2023—and when you’re getting dumped by the same agency that represents LeBron James, that’s saying something.
Now Lee is out too, which leaves Simmons in the peculiar position of potentially retiring without representation. It is like showing up to a gunfight without bullets, except the gunfight is his basketball career, and the bullets are people willing to work with him.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect, considering Stefan Bondy from the New York Post dropped a bombshell earlier this week that Simmons has been “questioning” whether he wants to continue his NBA career. Questioning his NBA future? The man who made $33 million last season to play 51 games is having second thoughts about playing basketball. Sure, that makes total sense.
The Los Angeles Clippers Connection
Here’s where it gets interesting for Los Angeles Clippers fans who might be wondering how their team fits into this mess. Simmons actually spent part of the 2024-25 season with the Clippers after being traded from Brooklyn. Those 51 games he played? Some of them were in a Clippers uniform, and let me tell you, it was about as inspiring as watching paint dry in slow motion.
The Los Angeles Clippers, already dealing with their own injury concerns and championship window questions, got a front-row seat to the Ben Simmons experience. It’s one thing to read about his reluctance to shoot or his mysterious back issues—it’s another thing entirely to have him on your roster and watch it unfold in real time.
The Numbers Don’t Lie (But They’re Depressing)
Let’s talk about what $170 million gets you these days. Since signing that massive extension with Philadelphia back in 2019, Simmons has averaged exactly zero conference finals appearances, zero clutch shots, and zero confidence in his jump shot. But hey, he’s maintained a solid average of 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists across 383 career games. Those are decent numbers if you’re, say, a role player making $8 million a year—not a max contract superstar.
The back injury saga that started in 2022 has become basketball’s version of a never-ending story. One minute, he’s out with a herniated disc, the next, it’s knee problems, and somewhere in between, there’s always some mysterious ailment that coincidentally flares up during crucial moments.
What This Means For the Future
The Los Angeles Clippers and every other NBA team are probably breathing a collective sigh of relief right about now. While the New York Knicks have reportedly shown interest, most franchises are likely content to watch this train wreck from a safe distance.
Phoenix, Boston, and Sacramento supposedly had early interest during the offseason, but that was before the retirement rumors started swirling. Nothing kills trade interest quite like a player publicly contemplating whether he wants to play basketball anymore.
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