Trey Lyles Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings Notes: Barnes, Vezenkov, Murray, Second Unit

October 9th, 2023 at 7:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Harrison Barnes has played for the Kings the last four-and-a-half seasons and he’ll be around even longer after signing a three-year, $54MM extension. After being subjected to so many trade rumors, Barnes is appreciative of his longevity with the organization, he told Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

“I’m humbled and honored. Because there hasn’t been a whole lot of stability here,” he said. “But to be able to build, to see an entire process go through in the same place and say I was part of a successful rebuild, it’s great. I was part of a rebuild in Dallas and wasn’t able to see that go through. But to actually see it through here and hopefully much further, it’s special.”

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Sasha Vezenkov scored 12 points in 11 minutes of second half action in a 112-99 loss to the Raptors during the team’s preseason opener Sunday, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee notes. Vezenkov signed a three-year, $20MM contract with Sacramento after winning the EuroLeague MVP award with Olympiacos last season. He’s looking to break into the second unit.
Sacramento is looking for Keegan Murray to expand his offensive game in his second season. There were signs of that on Sunday, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Murray, who attempted almost twice as many threes as twos during his rookie season, looked to create more off the bounce in the preseason opener.
Davion Mitchell and Malik Monk, as usual, were the first players off the bench, Patterson adds. Newcomers JaVale McGee and Chris Duarte rounded out the second unit with Trey Lyles, who re-signed with the club this summer.

Kings Notes: Lyles, Lamb, Nowell, Vezenkov, Ford

October 5th, 2023 at 10:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Trey Lyles has played for five teams across his eight seasons in the league, but he feels like he’s found a long-term home with the Kings, according to Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Lyles arrived in Sacramento in 2022 at the trade deadline and became a key contributor as the team ended its 16-season playoff drought last year.

The two sides agreed to a two-year, $16MM contract extension this offseason after Lyles made returning to Sacramento his No. 1 priority, according to Patterson.

“Last season, I felt at home with the team, city and the fans,” Lyles said. “But I think it really set in once I signed back. This is the first time in my going-on-nine-year career that I’ve been able to stay in a city for longer than two years. It felt good. … So, that was really the moment it was — not a weight off my shoulders, but kind of a breath of fresh air.”

The 27-year-old forward didn’t make a start for the first time in his career, but he had a consistent role, averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.9 minutes off the bench in 74 games.

“Trey’s such a good guy,” Kings coach Mike Brown said of Lyles. “He understands what’s right and what’s wrong. He’s going to bring it every day, and he gives us a lot of versatility.”

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Both Jeremy Lamb and Jaylen Nowell signed Exhibit 10 training camp contracts with the Kings, Spotrac’s Keith Smith tweets. Sacramento has room to carry one more player on a standard contract for its regular season roster, and Lamb and Nowell are both candidates for that spot, though the Kings don’t necessarily have to carry a full 15-man roster. Those Exhibit 10 agreements provide a way for the Kings to keep one or both of the players in their organization if they don’t make the regular season roster. Both players will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $75K if they are waived before opening night and then spend at least 60 days with Sacramento’s G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings.
The Kings are high on forward Sasha Vezenkov‘s outside shooting, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Domantas Sabonis called the former EuroLeague MVP the best shooter on the team, while De’Aaron Fox said he was one of the best shooters on Earth. “Man, he shoots the [heck] out of the ball,” Fox said. “It’s crazy. One of our shooting drills, I think it’s like 150 shots, and I think he missed seven. … We want him to be comfortable and we want him to know he has a green light to shoot the ball.” The 6’9″ forward is embarking on his rookie season in the NBA at 28 years old and is expected to have a role right away.
Guard Jordan Ford grew up rooting for the Kings, Anderson details in another story, and he’s now getting the chance to suit up for the team after he signed a two-way contract in September. “It definitely feels special today putting on the uniform for the first time, the actual threads,” Ford said. “It feels great and I think it’s something that is going to be great through the whole season, just getting to know all the fans and getting to know all the great people, so I’m excited.“

Kings Interested In JaVale McGee

August 29th, 2023 at 5:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings are interested in signing veteran center JaVale McGee once he clears waivers, Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and NBA on TNT tweets.

The Mavericks officially waived McGee on Monday and he’ll become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday.

Sacramento has 13 players on guaranteed contracts and two more frontcourt players — Neemias Queta and Nerlens Noel — on partially guaranteed deals. The Kings also have Alex Len behind Domantas Sabonis in the center spot with Trey Lyles another possibility in small-ball lineups.

McGee could join the battle for backup minutes behind Sabonis. He’d be on his ninth NBA team since entering the league in 2008.

McGee signed a three-year, $17MM+ contract with Dallas last offseason, but only spent seven games in the starting lineup and subsequently fell out of the rotation altogether. The 35-year-old averaged 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in a career-low 8.5 minutes per game across 42 appearances during his second stint as a Maverick.

More Contract Details: White, Lyles, A. Holiday, Draymond, D-Lo, More

July 11th, 2023 at 7:24am CST by Luke Adams

Coby White‘s new contract with the Bulls and Trey Lyles‘ new contract with the Kings both include unlikely incentives that could increase the value of those deals, Hoops Rumors has learned.

White’s three-year pact is guaranteed to be worth at least $36MM and has $1.3MM in annual incentives that could push the guard’s earnings up to $40MM in total. As for Lyles, he’ll make $8MM guaranteed salaries in each season of his two-year deal with Sacramento and could earn another $1.2MM in bonuses, which would increase the overall value of the contract to $18.4MM ($9.2MM per year).

Here are a few more details worth noting on several recently signed contracts:

Aaron Holiday‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Rockets is only partially guaranteed. Holiday is assured of about $1.05MM and would receive his full $2.35MM salary if he remains under contract through at least January 7.
Draymond Green‘s four-year, $100MM contract with the Warriors includes a 15% trade kicker, while Jevon Carter‘s three-year, $19.5MM deal with the Bulls has a third-year player option.
Only the first season of Julian Champagnie‘s new four-year, $12MM contract with the Spurs is guaranteed. For each of the following three years, he’ll have to remain under contract beyond August 1 to guarantee his salary for that season.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year deal (or a two-year deal with a second-year option) has the right to veto a trade, since he’d lose his Bird (or Early Bird) rights if he’s dealt. However, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows a player to waive that right to veto a trade when he signs that sort of contract, and Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell became the first player to do so, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Alex Len also waived his right to veto a trade as part of his new one-year deal with the Kings, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Trey Lyles Re-Signs With Kings On Two-Year Deal

June 30th, 2023 at 5:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

July 7: Lyles’ two-year deal is official, the Kings announced (Twitter link via Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 News).

June 30: Power forward Trey Lyles is re-signing with the Kings, Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report tweets. It’s a two-year deal, James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com tweets.

The base value of the contract is $16MM, plus bonuses, Sam Amick of The Athletic tweets. There are no team or player options in the deal.

Lyles proved to be a valuable reserve for a franchise that finally ended its long postseason drought this past season. Lyles expressed his desire to stay late last season, saying he felt “at home” in Sacramento. Lyles has also played for Utah, Denver, San Antonio and Detroit.

Lyles appeared in 74 regular season games off the bench for Sacramento, averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game. Lyles, who also saw action in seven postseason contests, played for a modest $2.625MM salary last season.

Kings Rumors: Barnes, FA Targets, Kuzma, Lyles, Sabonis

June 27th, 2023 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Harrison Barnes‘ departure from Sacramento this offseason appears increasingly likely, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who identifies the Pacers as a “strong contender” to sign the Kings‘ free agent forward.

As previously reported, Barnes’ connections to Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton and head coach Rick Carlisle could make Indiana an appealing landing spot for him. Fischer says Barnes is close with Haliburton, who played with him in Sacramento, and has support from Carlisle, who coached him in Dallas.

Here’s more on the Kings:

Sacramento’s decision to trade Richaun Holmes and the No. 24 pick in Thursday’s draft to Dallas in order to generate additional cap room has rival executives speculating that the Kings have a specific move in mind for free agency, says Fischer. While Khris Middleton and Draymond Green have been floated as possible targets, those veterans are considered likely to remain with the Bucks and Warriors, respectively, according to Fischer, who hears that the Trail Blazers and Pistons may nonetheless make a run at Green.
The name gaining the most traction as a possible Kings free agent target is Kyle Kuzma, according to Fischer. The Jazz‘s trade for John Collins should take a rival suitor for Kuzma off the market, Fischer explains, since Utah is unlikely to pursue another significant frontcourt piece in free agency after adding Collins.
Besides using their $33MM+ in cap room to pursue Kuzma, the Kings will also likely look to bring back free agent forward Trey Lyles and renegotiate and extend Domantas Sabonis‘ contract, Fischer reports, estimating that a new deal for Sabonis could be worth in the neighborhood of $120MM over four years.

Kings Notes: Sabonis, Brown, Vezenkov, Lyles, Offseason

May 10th, 2023 at 9:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Kings center Domantas Sabonis received a $1.3MM bonus for being named to the All-NBA Third Team on Wednesday, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

The 27-year-old had a career year in his first full season with Sacramento, appearing in 79 games (34.6 MPG) while averaging 19.1 PPG and a league-leading 12.3 RPG. He also posted career highs in assists (7.3) and field goal percentage (61.5%) in helping lead the Kings to the No. 3 seed in the West, snapping their record-long playoff drought in the process.

Sabonis previously earned a $1.3MM bonus earlier in 2022/23 for making his third All-Star team. Both bonuses were considered unlikely this season, but that will change for next season — his cap hit for ’23/24 will now be $22MM instead of $19.4MM due to those bonuses being considered likely.

Here’s more out of Sacramento:

In an interview with Greek outlet Sportal.gr (YouTube link), head coach Mike Brown spoke glowingly about Olympiacos star Sasha Vezenkov, whose NBA rights are controlled by the Kings. Brown traveled overseas to watch Vezenkov — a favorite for EuroLeague MVP — compete in the playoffs. “The way we play, he fits in really good,” Brown said. “He shoots the three ball. He’s got size. He’s got toughness. He rebounds. All those things are exciting with the way we play the game of basketball, so we’ll let him finish out his season, and then we’ll make decisions from there.” Brown added that the Kings were “highly, highly intrigued” with the 27-year-old.
James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com explores Trey Lyles‘ impending free agency and how he might fit in long term with the Kings, noting that the reserve big man has been open about his desire to return to Sacramento.
Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee provides his offseason preview for the Kings. How they’ll use their three draft picks and if they’ll re-sign Harrison Barnes are among the big questions the team faces.
In case you missed it, point guard De’Aaron Fox also earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. If he makes another All-NBA team in ’23/24 or ’24/25, he’ll be eligible for a super-max extension in 2025.

Pacific Notes: Curry, Looney, Lyles, Durant

April 30th, 2023 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephen Curry delivered a huge knockout blow by scoring 50 points in Game 7 against the Kings on Sunday. The Warriors were down 0-2 in the series and failed to close it out at home in Game 6 but they still advanced to face the Lakers in the second round, Kendra Andrews of ESPN relays.

“We’re defying the odds by still playing at this high of a level,” the Warriors’ superstar guard said. “I know everybody wants to see you fail. That’s kind of the nature of where we’re at right now. We love when we still prove a lot of people wrong. It’s part of our vibe now.”

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Kevon Looney is once again coming up huge in the postseason after re-signing with the Warriors laat summer on a new three-year contract. Golden State’s big man supplied 11 points and 21 rebounds in the Game 7 triumph, the third time in the series he grabbed 20 or more rebounds. Coach Steve Kerr heaped praise on Looney afterward, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. “I think Loon is one of the best centers in the league, I really do,” Kerr said. “People don’t recognize it because he’s not dunking, shooting threes, and all that stuff, but this guy is a flat out winner, he’s a machine, and we wouldn’t be here without him.”
Kings forward Trey Lyles averaged 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 18 minutes per game during the series. Lyles is headed to unrestricted free agency but he’d like to stay put, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets. “This is the most at home I’ve felt of any team I’ve been on,” said Lyles, who has also played for Utah, San Antonio, Denver and Detroit.
Kevin Durant was disappointed in himself for making seven turnovers in the opener of the second-round series against Denver on Saturday. However, Durant isn’t fretting about the Suns falling behind in the series, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (video link). “It’s just like any other game, to be honest. It’s not that deep,” he said. “On the road, we want to try to get one of the first two games here. Just look at the film and see what we can do better.”

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Draymond, Kings, Clippers

April 29th, 2023 at 4:03pm CST by Rory Maher

It seemed as though the Warriors had all the momentum after winning three straight games to go ahead 3-2 in their first-round series against Sacramento, which made their Game 6 home loss Friday night all the more stunning, writes Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.

Kawakami calls the 19-point defeat Golden State’s “most disappointing” performance since the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green started making the postseason in 2013. The locker room was understandably quiet and reflective afterward.

Still, the team remains confident it will be able to rebound and emerge victorious Sunday afternoon in Sacramento for Game 7.

“It’s up to us to go to Sacramento and do everything we did tonight — but opposite,” Thompson said. “And I know we will respond. I just know this team. I know these guys. I’ve played at the highest level with them and I know what we are capable of, and we will respond like the champions we are come Sunday.”

Here’s more from the Pacific:

It’s time for head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors to re-insert Draymond Green into the starting lineup in place of the struggling Jordan Poole, argues Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, who points to Green’s experience of winning in high-pressure situations and his defensive acumen as reasons why the change should take place.
The Kings made a “series-altering” adjustment in Game 6, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. They decided to go smaller and faster, with more shooting around De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, who both had terrific games. They went away from Alex Len as backup center and used Trey Lyles at the five, with Terence Davis, Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray receiving more playing time, while Harrison Barnes and Davion Mitchell played less. “We knew we could run them a little bit and we took advantage of that tonight,” Monk said. “I felt it a little bit more on them. They were a little tired. We’re younger than they are. So we knew we could take advantage of that. We’re going to try to do the same thing Sunday.”
Confirming a recent report from Mark Medina, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank says the Clippers will “continue to build around” Kawhi Leonard and Paul George despite their injury troubles, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN relays. “Kawhi’s a ceiling raiser,” Frank said. “When you study past NBA champions, they have a top-five guy on their team, and Kawhi has shown that when healthy he can be the best player in the world. Paul is an eight-time All-Star now. So we’re going to continue to build around those guys and look for every which way [to improve around them].”
Both Leonard and George are eligible for pricey contract extensions in the offseason, and the Clippers will discuss the matter with their star players when the time comes, per Youngmisuk. “Those guys are great players and they’re great partners and we want to keep them as Clippers for a long time,” Frank said. “And so we’ll look forward to those conversations. And the No. 1 goal is how can we build a sustainable championship team? And those guys have been great partners, so at the appropriate time, we look forward to sitting down with them.”

California Notes: Powell, Thompson, Kings, Lakers

April 7th, 2023 at 4:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers reserve guard Norman Powell appears to be rediscovering his fighting form of late. In his most recent contest, a 125-118 win over the Lakers Wednesday, Powell notched a team-high 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register.

“I think it’s like my fourth game back coming off injury after missing 11 games so it was just being prepared and just staying mentally locked in and as (head coach Tyronn) Lue says, not playing so angry,” Powell said. “It just shows how much I love the game and how much I commit to it, and my preparation every single day.”

Playing in his first full season with the Clippers, the 6’3″ swingman is averaging 16.7 PPG on .476/.404/.815 shooting splits. All but eight of his 58 healthy contests have come off the team’s bench.

There’s more out of California:

Starting Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson has been dealing with a sore back of late, but head coach Steve Kerr said on Friday that the 6’7″ vet is feeling better and was a full practice participant today, Kendra Andrews of ESPN tweets.
The 48-32 Kings could be without several notable players against the Warriors tonight, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee tweets. All-Stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis are both questionable with ankle injuries. Shooting guard Kevin Huerter is managing his own injury, while rookie power forward Keegan Murray has a foot ailment. The statuses of forward Trey Lyles and guards Davion Mitchell and Malik Monk are also up-in-the-air. If Sacramento wins out and the Grizzlies lose out, the Kings would be able to secure the West’s second seed by benefit of a tiebreaker, but it appears the team is happy with its current No. 3 seed.
Despite a clean injury sheet, the healthy Lakers‘ loss against a Clippers team missing All-Star forward Paul George exposes the club as being less than title-caliber, opines Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. Plaschke notes that stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James were clearly playing through ailments, and the rest of the team failed to step up to meet the moment.