NBA Notebook: Clippers affecting Celtics, Ben Simmons returns, and Jared Sullinger retires

Ever since the Kawhi Leonard saga came to a close, there has been a ton of discourse surrounding the Boston Celtics' 2028 first-round pick. How will the LA Clippers' punishment affect the Celtics?

Directly, it doesn't. The NBA is stripping the Clippers of five first-round picks, but that penalty doesn't begin until 2029. LA will lose firsts in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033. Boston owns a swap with LA in 2028.

The Celtics' 2028 pick swap, which they received in the Jaylen Brown trade, has some convoluted protections. I explained them in a full article here. But for all intents and purposes, the Celtics will have the right to swap picks with the Clippers if they land in the lottery.

So, circling back to the Leonard debacle, what exactly does the Clippers' punishment mean for the Celtics? Well, it means that the Clippers have no reasonable way to improve the roster.

LA was setting itself up for a reset. It traded Ivica Zubac for a haul from the Indiana Pacers. It swapped out James Harden for a younger Darius Garland. And before the drama concluded, Leonard was on his way to the Toronto Raptors.

Steve Ballmer isn't the type to loiter in mediocrity. Sitting in the middle of the standings and missing the playoffs for years doesn't seem like his M.O.

Before the NBA took away LA's future firsts, it also had plenty of draft capital to trade with. Anything can happen in a year. If Ballmer didn't like the team's direction, he wouldn't have been afraid to let his front office spend.

And if the Clippers decided to spend, they could have improved enough to make the playoffs in 2028. That would have been bad for Boston's first-round swap.

Now, it's going to be a lot harder for the Clippers to make moves. They need to be careful. LA has no real way to add youth without shipping out players for additional picks. And doing so would almost certainly hurt its playoff chances.

Even if the Clippers end as a bottom-three team in the NBA in 2028 -- which would give them worse lottery odds under the new system -- they wouldn't be able to fall past the No. 12 pick. That puts a pretty high floor on the selection for the Celtics.

Again, the Clippers' punishment doesn't directly impact the Celtics' 2028 swap. But it certainly restricts the Clippers' ability to improve, and that's inherently a good thing for Boston.

If you're rooting for the Celtics' 2028 pick to be as high as possible, you're rooting for the Clippers to finish as the fourth- to 10th-worst team in the NBA in 2028.

1. Amen Thompson extends

The Houston Rockets have inked Amen Thompson to a five-year, $208 million contract extension. It's roughly $44 million less than the max offer he could have signed (five years, $252 million).

Thompson will make about $10 million less per year than a max extension would have. That's similar to the pay cut Victor Wembanyama took, though the max may not have even been on the table for Thompson.

Wembanyama and Thompson are still the only players from the 2023 NBA Draft class who have signed extensions. Guys like Cason Wallace, Ausar Thompson, and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller have yet to extend.

Under the current CBA, teams are very cautious about spending. The days of handing out massive deals just for the sake of keeping players around seem to be over.

2. Ben Simmons is back

The Sacramento Kings have signed three-time All-Star Ben Simmons to a one-year contract. Simmons last appeared in the NBA during the 2024-25 season, when he played for the Brooklyn Nets and Clippers.

Simmons' NBA career has been highlighted by the end of his tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers. His playoff shortcomings, lack of a 3-point shot, and notable off-court drama effectively ended his prime.

Sacramento will give Simmons a fresh start. A new chance to prove that he belongs in the NBA. His versatile defense should still allow him to make an impact, but he'll have to prove that he can still hold up on that end of the court.

3. Speaking of the Kings...

Signing Simmons doesn't hurt the Kings. But it's a pretty clear indicator of the current state of things in Sacramento. The Kings are in a terrible, terrible place.

Not only do they have awful, multi-year contracts on the books, but their youth movement isn't exactly tantalizing. Outside of Darius Acuff Jr., they don't have much.

Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford still have time to blossom, but neither is the type of player the Kings can depend on to lead them into the future. For that, it's just Acuff.

Zach LaVine and DeAndre Hunter's contracts expire after this season. Domantas Sabonis has two years left. Keegan Murray is under contract for five years.

In the past five years, the Kings have traded Tyrese Haliburton, shipped out De'Aaron Fox, and only got back LaVine, and fired Mike Brown, who just won a championship with the New York Knicks.

Ever since their playoff appearance in 2023, things have gone downhill for Sacramento. And unfortunately, the future doesn't look much brighter.

4. Jared Sullinger retires

Perhaps a niche piece of news, but considering the Celtics connection, it's relevant nonetheless. Former Celtics first-round pick Jared Sullinger officially announced his retirement from the game of basketball.

Sullinger spent four years in Boston and one in Toronto before exiting the NBA after just five years in 2017. He went on to find significant success playing overseas.

He immediately joined the CBA (Chinese Basketball Association), and outside of a one-year pit stop in the South Korean Basketball League in 2020-21, he's played there ever since.

After spending most of his time with Shenzhen, Sullinger bounced around from team to team for the past few years, but he was one of the best players in the entire league.

Sullinger won the CBA International MVP in 2024, averaging 22.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. Now, Sullinger will take over as the Director of Player Development at his alma mater, Ohio State.

5. Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley set to retire

During an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Charles Barkley revealed that next season will likely be the last for both himself and 'Inside the NBA' co-host Ernie Johnson.

"Me and Ernie are a package deal," Barkley said. "Ernie said to me, 'Chuck, would you please stay for two more years?' I said, 'I love you, man. You're the best. I'll stay for two more years.' So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100 percent. … If he says he's done, I'm gone."

After TNT lost its rights to NBA games, speculation grew that the show could end. However, the crew agreed to move to ESPN. Barkley noted that he and Johnson agreed to do so for just two years.