Sacramento Kings Rumors

Pacific Notes: Ishbia, Durant, Ellis, James, Knecht

November 19th, 2024 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns owner Mat Ishbia told ESPN’s Shams Charania (video link) that he anticipates his team will be able to lock up Kevin Durant beyond his current contract, which expires in 2026.

“We expect Kevin to sign an extension and be with us for the long-term,” Ishbia said. “We hope he finishes his career here in Phoenix. That’s what we expect.”

Durant, 36, is currently sidelined by a left calf strain, but was averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game prior to the injury. Durant has a $57.4MM salary next season, the final year of his current contract. He declined to sign a one-year extension before the regular season but can sign a two-year deal during the 2025 offseason.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Keon Ellis came off the bench and scored a career-high 33 points in a controversial one-point loss to Atlanta on Monday. The Kings guard made nine 3-pointers for shorthanded Sacramento. “The way he shot the ball tonight was definitely incredible and kept us in the game,” De’Aaron Fox told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “He had big moments for us, and then getting to the line down the stretch, he was big for us.”
LeBron James‘ increased play-making is one of five takeaways from the Lakers’ current five-game winning streak that Jovan Buha of The Athletic details. James is averaging 9.2 assists per game, the second-highest mark of his career. Another of Buha’s takeaways is the improved play of Max Christie, though he may not hold onto his rotation spot once injured players return to action.
Dalton Knecht has scored 60 points in the last three games and The Athletic’s John Hollinger describes the rookie’s impact on the Lakers in his latest column. The 17th pick of the draft has made 40.4% of his 3-point attempts. He has filled a role for a much-needed shooter to balance the offense.

Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Monk, Sabonis, Bamba, Riley, Looney

November 18th, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings provided some positive medical updates on three key players, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes.

DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis didn’t play on Monday but are close to returning. All three have been cleared for individual on-court workouts. They could return for Sacramento’s game against the Clippers on Friday.

DeRozan has been sidelined for three games due to lower back tightness. Sabonis missed his second straight contest for the same reason, while Monk missed his fifth consecutive game on Monday after suffering a moderate right ankle sprain on Nov. 10.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Mohamed Bamba had nine points and eight rebounds in his season debut for the Clippers on Sunday in 15 minutes of action. He had been sidelined by a left knee injury. “My knees, the doctor would say, are in the 90th percentile of healthy looking knees,” he told Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). “But I kept getting this pocket of fluid in my knee. And it was frustrating because we couldn’t figure out why it was coming. Now we have it settled and a plan in place to kind of mitigate that.” Bamba is currently on a minutes restriction but believes he can play in back-to-backs.
The Lakers have commissioned a statue of Pat Riley to join Lakers legends on Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena, according to a Lakers press release. Riley will join Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West with statues in the plaza. Riley coached the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s to four championships and also played for the Lakers in the 1970s.
Kevon Looney missed the Warriors’ game against the Clippers on Monday due to an illness, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Looney, who is headed to free agency next summer, is coming off the bench this season.

De’Aaron Fox, Franz Wagner Named Players Of The Week

November 18th, 2024 at 2:39pm CST by Rory Maher

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week, while Magic forward Franz Wagner has won the award for the East, the NBA announced on Monday (via Twitter).

Although Sacramento only went 2-2 during the week of November 11-17, Fox had a phenomenal four games individually, averaging 40.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.0 steals on .574/.571/.810 shooting in 37.1 minutes per contest. He scored a career-high 60 points in Friday’s overtime loss to Minnesota and followed that up with 49 points in Saturday’s win over Utah, becoming just the third player in NBA history to score at least 109 points in back-to-back games.

Fox is averaging a career-best 28.9 PPG, which ranks sixth in the league, through 14 games. After leading the NBA with 2.0 steals per game in ’23/24, he’s currently seventh this season at 1.8 per contest. The Kings hold an 8-6 record.

Wagner, a 23-year-old forward from Germany, also had a terrific week. He averaged 30.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals while only turning the ball over three times in three home victories (36.5 MPG). He posted a shooting line of .458/.357/.889. The Magic have won five straight and, like the Kings, are currently 8-6.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Alperen Sengun and Shaedon Sharpe. Wagner, who was also nominated for the award last week, beat out Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cade Cunningham, Dyson Daniels, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns in the East.

Pacific Notes: Fox, Reddish, Hachimura, Clippers Offense, Robinson

November 17th, 2024 at 8:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

De’Aaron Fox has gone on a scoring binge for the shorthanded Kings, erupting for 109 points and 16 assists over the last two games. Fox became just the third player in NBA history to score at least 109 total points across back-to-back games.

“There’s not a single person in this league that can stop him from getting to the spots where he wants to (get to),” Kings coach Mike Brown said, per Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee. “I think he’s feeling that. And not only is he feeling that, but he’s showing that.”

As we noted last month, Fox is aiming for a potential extension next offseason after passing on a new deal this past summer.

We have more on the Pacific Division:

The Lakers played without forwards Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura on Saturday. Reddish was a late scratch because of a right peroneal strain – irritation or inflammation in the tendons that run along the outside of a person’s ankle and foot, according to Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. Hachimura missed his second consecutive game due to an ankle injury.
The Clippers entered Sunday’s game saddled with a three-game losing streak, including back-to-back defeats to Houston. They shot 39.6 percent from the field in the first of those losses to Houston and 37.8% from the field in the rematch. “They were physical, they took us out of what we wanted to do,” swingman Norman Powell told Janis Carr of the Orange County Register.
Orlando Robinson made his Kings debut on Saturday, contributing six points and three rebounds in 12 minutes. Robinson suffered a left MCL sprain in early October. “I’ve been feeling good,” Robinson said in a video posted by Kings radio reporter Sean Cunningham. “I’m almost back to how I was before training camp started and I’m looking forward to getting back to that point so I can contribute to winning.” Robinson signed a one-year contract with Sacramento during the summer.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Christie, Draymond, Waters, Fox, Kings

November 16th, 2024 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing four of their first five road games of the season, the Lakers were encouraged by their performance on Friday in San Antonio, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Anthony Davis scored 40 points and LeBron James set a personal record with his fourth consecutive triple-double as L.A. pulled out a five-point victory over the Spurs.

“That’s what we want to do,” Davis said. “We want to be just as good of a road team as we are a home team. And we can’t do that if we don’t come out and compete. We’ve been just a different team when we’ve been out on the road. The way we compete, share the ball, play together at home, is totally different than when we get on the other side on the road. So we did that tonight.”

As Woike writes, the play of reserve wing Max Christie was another positive sign for the Lakers. After falling out of the rotation as of late, Christie logged a season-high 30 minutes on Friday with Rui Hachimura out due to a sprained right ankle and was a plus-23 in those minutes, contributing 11 points, three rebounds, and a pair of steals. the 21-year-old said it helped to know that head coach J.J. Redick still had faith in him.

“He has a lot of belief in a lot of us and I think he definitely has a lot of belief in me and I can appreciate that coming from a head coach,” Christie said. “I know you know how I can play and I think tonight was a very good example of that, when I’m just out there playing free, playing the way I know I can play instead of just trying to over-complicate things.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Draymond Green‘s foul on Zach Edey in the third quarter of the Warriors‘ win over the Grizzlies on Friday has been upgraded to a flagrant 1, the league announced today (via Twitter). As Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, the Grizzlies were upset that the foul wasn’t reviewed at the time after Green appeared to pin Edey’s lower leg to his body using his elbow and forearm, causing the big man to trip (video link). “It definitely wasn’t a basketball play,” Edey said.
Lindy Waters earned his second start of the season for the Warriors on Friday night, but left the game late in the first half and didn’t return after hyperextending his left knee while blocking a shot (video link). Brandin Podziemski started the second half in Waters’ place, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Kings guard De’Aaron Fox blew past his previous career high of 44 points by pouring in a franchise-high 60 in a loss to Minnesota on Friday. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee has the story, including quotes from Fox, his teammates, and head coach Mike Brown. “He’s an All-Star and the sky is the limit for him,” Brown said. “He knew we needed help. He put us on his back, and he almost carried us to the finish line, but he did everything in his power to get us there.”
The Kings will be missing a pair of stars on Saturday vs. Utah, as both Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan have been ruled out due to lower back tightness (Twitter link via Anderson). It’s DeRozan’s second consecutive missed game.

Injury Notes: Knicks, Hawks, Pelicans, DeRozan, Carter

November 15th, 2024 at 10:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out of Friday’s win vs. Brooklyn after initially being listed as questionable, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Towns sustained a left knee contusion after bumping into Zach LaVine on Wednesday.

Backup guard Miles McBride was also downgraded from questionable to out on Friday due to an illness. McBride has been battling knee soreness as well, Bondy adds.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau provided another injury update on Precious Achiuwa prior to Friday’s contest. As Bondy notes, Achiuwa is nearing the four-week mark on his hamstring strain, which has prevented him from suiting up in 2024/25. Thibodeau said on Wednesday that Achiuwa still hasn’t been cleared for practice.

“He’s reevaluated every day,” Thibodeau said. “So yes, he has been reevaluated. The depth of it, I’m not sure. I know they’ve increased his activity. I think that part is good. With the hamstring, we just want to make sure it’s not a problem that will linger.”

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

A trio of injured guards — Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), Kobe Bufkin (shoulder) and Vit Krejci (adductor) — were assigned to the Hawks‘ G League affiliate on Friday to get some practice reps in, tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All three players are expected to travel with Atlanta for the team’s upcoming four-game road trip, which begins on Sunday in Portland and ends on Friday in Chicago, so there’s a chance they could return next week.
The Pelicans finally received some good injury news on Friday, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com, who tweets that CJ McCollum has progressed to playing 5-on-5 and is getting close to returning from a right adductor strain. However, the news wasn’t all positive, as second-year guard Jordan Hawkins (low back strain) and defensive stalwart Herbert Jones (right shoulder) have not yet been cleared for contact work.
Kings forward DeMar DeRozan missed his first game of the season on Friday vs. Minnesota due to lower back tightness, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. DeRozan exited Wednesday’s game with the injury, was unable to practice on Thursday (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat), and also did not participate in Friday’s shootaround, per Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL (Twitter link).
Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. missed his seventh straight game on Friday due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Head coach Jamahl Mosley said Orlando’s starting center has been receiving treatment and is “progressing,” albeit “slowly,” according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). “(Carter’s) been on the bike. He’s doing some spot shooting,” Mosley said.

Injury Notes: Butler, Kyrie, Nets, S. Barnes, O. Robinson

November 14th, 2024 at 4:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat forward Jimmy Butler will miss his third straight game in Indiana on Friday as he continues to recover from a right ankle sprain, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Butler, who sustained the injury in the first quarter of last Friday’s loss in Denver, did not practice on Thursday.

While the Heat will be playing without their six-time All-Star, they expect to have another injured player available. Third-year forward Nikola Jovic was limited to just three minutes in Tuesday’s overtime loss to Detroit due to a broken nose, but he should be ready to go on Friday with the assistance of a protective mask, Winderman writes.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

Guard Kyrie Irving was added to the Mavericks‘ injury report ahead of Thursday’s matchup in Utah, tweets Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Irving, who is off to an excellent individual start to the season, is listed as questionable due to a right shoulder strain. He has yet to miss a game in 2024/25.
Nets swingman Ben Simmons (left calf tightness) underwent an MRI on Thursday and the prognosis is positive. According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links), Simmons’ MRI revealed no structural damage and he will be active for Friday’s contest vs. New York. Forward Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) is probable for Friday’s contest, while center Nic Claxton is questionable due to a lower back strain.
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes was spotted in a mask during Thursday’s practice as he recovers from a fractured orbital bone. However, he was limited to non-contact work and is still about a week away from being reevaluated, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca relays (via Twitter).
Kings center Orlando Robinson, who was recently cleared for contact, has been assigned to Sacramento’s G League affiliate in Stockton to get some conditioning work in, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat. Robinson is on the mend from a left MCL sprain he sustained during training camp. The third-year big man has yet to make his ’24/25 season debut.

Pacific Notes: Kings, DeRozan, James, Beal

November 14th, 2024 at 9:32am CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings sixth man Malik Monk is out at least two weeks due to a right ankle sprain. Who will fill his role? It’ll be a collective effort, according to Kings head coach Mike Brown.

Sacramento lost by 20 points to the Spurs on Monday and the reserves were outscored 37-21.

“We’re definitely going to have to collectively step up,” Brown told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “There’s not one guy that can do it.”

Keon Ellis, Jordan McLaughlin, Doug McDermott, Trey Lyles and Alex Len are the reserves that Sacramento will rely on with Monk on the shelf. The backups accounted for 46 points in a 23-point win over Phoenix on Wednesday.

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Kings swingman DeMar DeRozan departed Wednesday’s game with lower back tightness, Anderson tweets. Acquired by Sacramento in a sign-and-trade, DeRozan is averaging 22.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 12 starts. DeRozan, 35, played 79 games for Chicago last season.
LeBron James continues to pile up records and milestones. The Lakers superstar reached another one on Wednesday, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to record three straight triple-doubles. James, who will turn 40 next month, had 35 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds in a win over Memphis. “Just being very patient and taking what the defense gives me,” James said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “I’ve been doing it for a while. So, I understand time and score. I understand the waves and the swings of the game. So, it’s nothing new to me.”
Bradley Beal‘s first season with the Suns was marred by injuries and under-performance. He admitted to The Athletic’s Fred Katz that it took a mental toll on him. “I was in a funk (last season),” Beal said. “Not gonna lie. I was in a funk.” Part of the reason was the lack of a true point guard. “We didn’t love it as a team (last season),” Beal said. “The dynamic we had — we didn’t have a (point guard), which everybody crucified us on. It was tough. It was very tough. Everybody was kinda out of position last year, not necessarily what made them who they are.” Beal had 28 points in an overtime loss to Sacramento on Sunday and 24 points in a win over Utah on Tuesday but didn’t play against Sacramento on Wednesday due to a calf injury.

Kings’ Top Reserve Malik Monk Out At Least Two Weeks

November 11th, 2024 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Malik Monk didn’t play against San Antonio on Monday and the Kings guard will miss several more games. He has been diagnosed with a moderate right ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in two weeks, according to James Ham of The Kings Beat via a team press release (Twitter link).

X-rays revealed no structural damage to the ankle, which he injured during the second quarter against Phoenix on Sunday.

Monk, one of the NBA’s top reserves, is averaging 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 10 games this season. He had a career year last season, averaging 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 72 games off the bench. Monk parlayed that into a four-year, $78MM contract during free agency over the summer.

The Kings also offered two other injury updates. Big man Orlando Robinson is progressing from the left MCL sprain he suffered during training camp on Oct. 3. He has been cleared for contact and the team will update his status in the coming days.

First-round pick Devin Carter is progressing from left shoulder surgery he underwent in July. After a four-month follow-up appointment with a medical specialist, he was cleared for unrestricted shooting. Additional updates will be provided in January. The club offered a timetable of six months following the surgery.

Malik Monk To Miss At Least One Game After Hurting Ankle

November 11th, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Kings guard Malik Monk will miss tonight’s game with an ankle injury that’s still being evaluated, sources tell NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). He had to leave Sunday’s contest in the first half after hurting the ankle.