Marc Stein shoots down viral post linking Lakers to Ben Simmons

A post from X user Marc Jacobs claimed the Lakers had pivoted to Ben Simmons after passing on Jonathan Kuminga, and credited it to Marc Stein. Stein's response: he never reported any of it. The same account was previously called out by The Athletic's Dan Woike for inventing Luka Doncic quotes.

Simmons has said he wants to return to the NBA, and Kings radio host Carmichael Dave said a source at a Florida workout this week described him as looking "fantastic".

Kuminga, meanwhile, signed a two-year, $13M deal with a player option in Minnesota, with Mike Scotto reporting he preferred the fit and a starting spot at power forward.