Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Injury Updates: Fox, Bagley, James, Looney, Washington, Winslow

December 27th, 2019 at 6:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Kings offered some good news on guard De’Aaron Fox‘s latest ailment, according to a team press release. Fox left Thursday’s game in the first quarter against Minnesota with back spasms. A precautionary MRI revealed no structural damage and he will be listed as day-to-day. Big man Marvin Bagley III, who also made an early departure on Thursday, will have his left foot evaluated by a specialist Saturday.

We have more injury-related news:

Lakers star LeBron James thought he’d miss some time after getting injured on Christmas Day but that may not be the case, according to an ESPN report. James has a groin contusion and is listed as questionable to play against Portland on Saturday.
Big man Kevon Looney will miss the Warriors’ games this weekend with abdominal soreness, Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Looney has played just 10 games this season, mainly due to a hamstring issue.
Hornets rookie forward PJ Washington is listed as probable to play on Friday, the team’s PR department tweets. Washington suffered a fracture of his fifth finger on his right hand during a game against Chicago on December 13.
The injury to Justise Winslow‘s back is now listed as a bone bruise rather than a strain, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. The Heat’s point forward has not played since December 6.

Dewayne Dedmon Wants Out Of Sacramento

December 27th, 2019 at 1:21pm CST by ChrisCrouse

When Dewayne Dedmon signed his three-year, $41MM contract with Sacramento this offseason, the plan was for him to play a major role as a floor stretching big. However, Richaun Holmes has severely outplayed Dedmon, forcing coach Luke Walton to sour on the 30-year-old big man.

Now, Shams Charania of The Athletic hears that Dedmon wants out of Sacramento and multiple teams are speaking with the Kings about acquiring him prior to this year’s trade deadline.

The center has not played in eight of the last 10 games for the Kings. Neither the franchise nor Dedmon believes that they can work things out and move forward past the trade deadline.

Dedmon’s $41MM deal may make it a challenge for Sacramento to find a taker, but it’s not as onerous as other contracts that have been moved in recent years. His third-year salary is only partially guaranteed for $1MM, so teams aiming to open up cap room for 2021 may still kick the tires on the veteran big man.

Buddy Hield: Kings Have “Trust Issues”

December 27th, 2019 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Buddy Hield complained to reporters about “trust issues” in Sacramento after being benched for much of the fourth quarter in last night’s loss to the Timberwolves, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic.

New Kings head coach Luke Walton has been keeping Hield off the court late in close games ever since a defensive lapse cost the team a victory against San Antonio on December 6, Jones adds. Hield didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter Monday and saw just 4:06 of action in the final frame of Thursday’s double overtime loss.

“Seems like we’re all over the place,” Hield said. “… Trust issues going on, I guess. They stop believing in players. It is what it is.”

Hield’s comments capped an overall miserable night for the Kings, who fell to 12-19 with their fifth straight loss. Not only did they allow Minnesota to snap an 11-game slide, but De’Aaron Fox left the game after two minutes with back spasms and Marvin Bagley III exited in the third quarter with an injured left foot.

But the bigger issue might be Hield, who is lashing out at the organization two months after signing a four-year rookie-scale extension worth $86MM. Hield also clashed with former coach Dave Joerger after repeatedly abandoning set plays to get his own shot, and Jones notes that their uneasy relationship was part of the reason for Joerger’s dismissal.

That’s not going to happen with Walton, who has a four-year contract and the full support of management, Jones adds. He was given the freedom to remove Dewayne Dedmon from the rotation after the team signed the free agent center to a three-year, $40MM contract this summer, and he will be allowed to handle Hield as he sees fit.

Hield didn’t directly attack Walton last night and made it clear to reporters that he doesn’t feel like he’s being singled out by the coaching staff.

“I never said that,” Hield said. “I just feel like I’m one of the better players on the team, I should be in there in the fourth quarter, trying to help my team win, regardless. That’s why I’m here, right?”

Hield hit a key shot in the first overtime and played the entirety of the second one. However, he showed questionable judgment at the end as the Kings had the ball and a chance to win with 11.6 seconds remaining. Hield ran off nearly the entire clock before misfiring on a 3-pointer.

“I don’t coach the team, it is what it is,” he said. “I’m an emotional player. I express my feelings on the bench and they know how competitive I am and they hear me. I don’t say nothing quietly. They know I’m all about winning, I’m a team-first guy and nobody says I’m being selfish so that’s not the case, I’m not a selfish guy.

“I’m all about winning. When I’m not out there, it hurt my gut not to be out there. For the past two games when I feel I can make a difference. … I know they’re trying to prove a point, of course. But the point didn’t get proved; that’s a game we could have won.”

Kings Seeking Identity With Full Lineup

December 25th, 2019 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings had to get by without De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III for much of the season’s first two months. Now, with both players healthy, the challenge will be integrating Fox and Bagley while the team finds its identity, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic. “There’s some things as a group that we have to find our rhythm again,” head coach Luke Walton said over the weekend. “I believe in our group and we are going to get there, but in the meantime, the only way to do is to watch film and work harder. So that’s what we are going to do.”

Harry Giles: Lack Of Role Is “Tough”

December 24th, 2019 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings used a first-round pick on Harry Giles in 2017 and seemed to view him as a franchise cornerstone during his de facto rookie season in 2018/19. However, Sacramento turned down its fourth-year option for 2020/21 on Giles this fall and the big man has only appeared in seven games so far this season, logging 52 total minutes.

Giles, whose rookie season was wiped out due to knee problems, is healthy now after battling injuries in recent years. Still, he hasn’t seen the court since November 27 and admits to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee that falling out of the rotation this season has been difficult.

“It’s tough,” Giles said. “I’m a competitor, so it’s hard, but it is what it is. It’s not my decision. All I can do is work hard every day, control what I can control, and stay as ready as I can. What else can I do?”

As Anderson notes, Giles was expected to vie with Richaun Holmes for backup center minutes behind Dewayne Dedmon this season, but the Kings’ frontcourt rotation has been upended as a result of impressive performances from Holmes and Nemanja Bjelica. Neither Dedmon nor Giles has played as of late, though head coach Luke Walton suggests both big men should get another chance at some point.

“He’s going to get an opportunity and it’s his job to be ready and take full advantage of that,” Walton said of Giles. “Right now, we feel like our best group is tightening the rotation and keeping as much shooting and spacing out there as we can. With Marvin [Bagley] coming back, we wanted to get him in that rotation, but we’re playing eight or nine guys right now, so it’s more of a numbers thing. We want to play everyone, but we can’t.”

While the Kings say Giles will get another chance and insist he hasn’t been ruled out as a long-term piece, it seems unlikely at this point that his time in Sacramento will extend beyond this season — especially with Bagley, Holmes, Dedmon, and Bjelica all on multiyear deals. Giles, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, will be just 22 years old at that time, so I’d expect another NBA team to roll the dice on his upside if Sacramento doesn’t retain him.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/22/19

December 22nd, 2019 at 8:10pm CST by JD Shaw

Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

The Kings have recalled Wenyen Gabriel and Caleb Swanigan from the Stockton Kings, G League affiliate of the team, according to James Ham of NBC Sports California (Twitter link). Sacramento will host Houston, winners of three straight, on Monday night.
The Celtics have recalled Carsen Edwards from the Maine Red Claws, the team announced on social media. Edwards was drafted by the team at No. 33 overall in June’s NBA Draft, with the rookie guard appearing in 21 games so far this season.
The Sixers recalled Shake Milton from the Delaware Blue Coats, according to Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia (Twitter link). Milton will join the team in Detroit for their game on Monday, Winters adds.
The Knicks have recalled Ignas Brazdeikis from Westchester, according to the team’s public relations department. New York is set to host Washington on Monday night.

Kings Assign Wenyen Gabriel

December 18th, 2019 at 10:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Kings tweet that they have assigned rookie power forward Wenyen Gabriel to their Stockton G League affiliate. Gabriel has played in seven games for Sacramento this year.

De’Aaron Fox Returns From Injury

December 17th, 2019 at 5:20pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Kings had been anticipating that De’Aaron Fox would return to the lineup tonight against the Hornets and the point guard tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee he will do just that.

Fox missed the past 17 games with a left ankle injury and the team went 9-8 during that stretch. The Kings have hopes of making the postseason and they currently are sole owners of the seventh seed in the Western Conference, though six teams are within 2.5 games of them.

Fox is expected to start at the point guard, sending Cory Joseph to the bench. Joseph recently spoke about the former No. 5 pick returning to the court for the franchise.

“He’s a huge part of our organization, everybody knows that, so we’re happy to get him back,” Joseph said. “He looks good. He’s running good. So we’re excited. He’s huge to what we do here.”

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 12/16/19

December 16th, 2019 at 7:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

The Pacers have assigned JaKarr Sampson, Alize Johnson and Edmond Sumner to their G League affiliate, the team announced on Twitter. All three players are available for the Mad Ants’ contest tonight.
The Celtics have recalled Romeo Langford from the Maine Red Claws, as the team relays on Twitter. Langford was the No. 14 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
The Wolves have recalled Naz Reid and Jaylen Nowell, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Krawczynski notes that Reid looked quick and explosive during Minnesota’s practice earlier today.
The Kings have assigned Caleb Swanigan to the Stockton Kings, per Sacramento’s Twitter feed. The power forward has appeared in five NBA contests this season, seeing a total of 13 minutes.

De’Aaron Fox Expected To Return On Tuesday

December 16th, 2019 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Kings continue to battle for a playoff spot, they’ll get a boost on Tuesday, according to James Ham of NBC Sports California, who writes that point guard De’Aaron Fox is expected to return to Sacramento’s lineup.

Kings head coach Luke Walton confirmed to Ham that the plan is for Fox to suit up and play against the Hornets in Charlotte on Tuesday, barring a setback. It will be his first game since November 11.

Fox, who has missed Sacramento’s last 17 games with a left ankle injury, has made positive strides this month. The Kings announced on December 2 that the former No. 5 overall pick would be re-evaluated in about two or three weeks — two weeks later, he appears ready to roll.

When Marvin Bagley III recently returned from a hand injury for the Kings, he transitioned to a bench role, but that almost certainly won’t be the case for Fox. He figures to supplant Cory Joseph in the starting five, with Joseph returning to a backup role and Yogi Ferrell possibly falling out of the rotation. For his part, Joseph tells Ham that he’s excited to get Fox back in the lineup.

“He’s a huge part of our organization, everybody knows that, so we’re happy to get him back,” Joseph said. “He looks good. He’s running good. So we’re excited. He’s huge to what we do here.”

Sacramento currently owns a modest 12-14 record, but that’s good enough for the seventh seed in the Western Conference. The Kings and their newly-healthy point guard will look to hold off the Thunder (11-14), Suns (11-14), Spurs (10-15), Timberwolves (10-15), and Trail Blazers (10-16) in the postseason race going forward.