Nets' Ben Simmons has season-ending back surgery

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Thursday to alleviate a nerve impingement in his lower back.

Simmons, 27, is expected to make a full recovery by training camp in the fall.

The former No. 1 overall pick, who appeared in just 15 games (12 starts) this season, averaged a career-low 6.1 points with 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 23.9 minutes per game. The three-time All-Star last played on Feb. 26.

Simmons has a $40.3 million expiring contract for the 2024-25 season.

Drafted No. 1 overall by Philadelphia in 2016, the 6-foot-10 Australia native missed the entire 2016-17 season with a foot injury. He returned to win Rookie of the Year honors in 2017-18 and made three straight All-Star teams, starting in 2018-19, before falling out of favor in Philadelphia.

The Sixers traded him to Brooklyn in February 2022 in a deal for James Harden, but he did not play at all during the 2021-22 campaign.

Simmons appeared in 42 games for the Nets in 2022-23, averaging 6.9 points before back issues ended his season in mid-February.