Kings Rumors

Western Notes: Malone, Brown, Suns, Mavs, Pels, Morant, Kawamura

December 27th, 2024 at 11:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who was the head coach in Sacramento for a season-and-a-half from 2013-14, didn’t hold back in his criticism of his former employer for the way the Kings handled Mike Brown‘s dismissal, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays.

“What really pissed me off about it was that they lost (Thursday) night, fifth game in a row, I believe — tough loss, fouling a jump-shooter — they have practice this morning, he does his post-(practice) media, and he’s in his car going to the airport to fly to L.A.,” Malone said. “And they call him on the phone (to fire him). No class. No balls. That’s what I’ll say about that.”

Malone said he was initially “really shocked and surprised” when he heard that Brown had been fired, but quickly realized the news wasn’t all that unexpected for two reasons.

“One, because as an NBA head coach, ultimately you’re going to get the blame,” Malone said. “When they win, it’s going to go to (Domantas) Sabonis and (De’Aaron) Fox. When you lose, it’s gonna go to Mike Brown. That’s the way it works. And two, who he works for. So I’m not surprised that Mike Brown got fired, because I got fired by the same person.”

We have more from around the Western Conference:

Fines and/or suspensions could be coming after Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and Mavericks forwards Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington were ejected from Friday’s game for their roles in a fourth-quarter altercation (Twitter video link). As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic details, Nurkic was called for an offensive foul and began heading toward his basket before turning back and exchanging words with Marshall and Washington. The incident escalated when Nurkic slapped Marshall in the side of the head. Marshall responded by throwing a punch at Nurkic as the Suns big man was shoved to the floor by Washington.
In the wake of Thursday’s 17-point home loss to Houston, Pelicans head coach Willie Green bemoaned his club’s “lack of competitiveness,” telling reporters, “We were just soft tonight. Period” (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic). New Orleans followed up that performance with another loss – its ninth in a row – on Friday at home vs. the Grizzlies and now has a 5-27 record.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant exited Friday’s win over New Orleans early due to a right shoulder ailment. While it didn’t look in the moment like a significant injury, it’s the same shoulder that Morant had surgically repaired last January, so the team figures to play it safe with its franchise player. According to head coach Taylor Jenkins, Morant will be reevaluated within the “next couple days” to determine the severity of the injury, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com.
Two-way guard Yuki Kawamura has only logged 41 total minutes across 14 outings for the Grizzlies, but the Japanese rookie has made Memphis the NBA’s most popular team in his home country this season. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the story.

Kings Fire Mike Brown

December 27th, 2024 at 10:37pm CST by Rory Maher

10:37pm: The Kings have put out a press release officially confirming that Brown has been let go and that Christie will be the team’s interim head coach.

“This was a difficult decision, and I want to thank Mike for his many contributions to the organization,” general manager Monte McNair said in a statement.

3:39pm: The Kings are firing head coach Mike Brown, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Sam Amick of The Athletic confirms the news (via Twitter).

Brown just signed a three-year contract extension in June. He will reportedly be owed $25.5MM through 2026/27.

In his first season with Sacramento in 2022/23, Brown guided the franchise to a 48-34 record and its first playoff berth since 2006, winning the NBA’s Coach of the Year award. Despite racking up 46 more regular season wins in ’23/24, he and the Kings finished outside the top eight in the conference and were eliminated in the second game of the play-in tournament.

The Kings have been in a tailspin of late, dropping their fifth straight game — all at home — after a fourth-quarter collapse on Thursday vs. Detroit, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. Sacramento led by 15 points with under eight minutes remaining, but wound up losing after Jaden Ivey converted a four-point play when the Pistons were down three.

“To relax like that at that point in the game was tough,” Brown said. “I also don’t like the pace we had in the last six minutes. I kept telling our guys, ‘Push it, push it, push it, drive it, kick it,’ just like we did most of the game, and we come to a complete stop with about six minutes to go. Three minutes to go, we’re rolling the ball and walking it, going against a set defense every time. Somehow, someway, we have to pay attention to the little details.”

The Kings entered the season with playoff expectations, but are currently just 13-18, the No. 12 seed in the West — they’re three games behind the final play-in spot.

Overall, the 54-year-old compiled a 107-88 (.549) regular season record with Sacramento. The team lost its first-round playoff series to Golden State in 2023 in seven games.

As detailed by multiple local reporters (all Twitter links), Brown just ran a full practice and spoke to the media literally minutes before Charania broke the news.

It’s unclear who will serve as Sacramento’s interim head coach, but the team’s most experienced assistant (he’s technically an associate head coach) is Jay Triano. The 66-year-old had previous head coaching stints with Toronto and Phoenix.

[UPDATE: Doug Christie Will Be Kings’ Interim Head Coach]

Known for his defensive acumen, Brown was an assistant with Washington, San Antonio and Indiana before he got his first head coaching job with Cleveland in 2005. He also coached the Lakers and had a second one-year stint with the Cavs. Prior to being hired by Sacramento, he was the top assistant on Steve Kerr‘s staff with Golden State for six seasons.

Doug Christie Will Be Kings’ Interim Head Coach

December 27th, 2024 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Kings assistant Doug Christie will be elevated to take Mike Brown‘s spot on the bench following Brown’s dismissal, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Christie is Sacramento’s new interim head coach.

Christie, a former NBA shooting guard, spent five of his 15 seasons as a player in Sacramento. That five-year stretch from 2000-05 was the most successful run of his career, as he started all 355 games he played and earned Defensive Player of the Year votes for a Kings team that won at least one playoff series in four straight years.

After retiring as a player, Christie spent some time as a color commentator for Kings game before being hired by the franchise as an assistant during the 2021 offseason.

Christie was hired under Luke Walton, remaining in his role as an assistant when the club parted ways with Walton and promoted Alvin Gentry to replace him during the 2021/22 season, and again when the Kings hired Brown in 2022.

Although Christie has never formally held a head coaching position, he has gained some experience on the job, having stepped in for Gentry in December 2021 when the Kings’ interim coach missed time with COVID-19. Christie also coached Sacramento’s Summer League team in 2024.

It’s unclear when the Kings plan to launch their search for a permanent head coach and whether Christie will receive serious consideration for the full-time role.

Pacific Notes: Carter, Davis, Reaves, Schröder

December 26th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Lottery pick Devin Carter appears to be nearing his season debut for the Kings.

Sources tell Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento that Carter, who underwent surgery in July to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, has been cleared for “unrestricted basketball activity.” The team confirmed the news in a press release (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat).

The former Providence star is expected to be assigned soon to Sacramento’s G League affiliate in Stockton to participate in live play, Cunningham reports.

The Kings announced in November that Carter had been cleared for unrestricted shooting. When he underwent surgery, Carter was given a return timeline of six months, and he seems to be right on track in his recovery process.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Anthony Davis tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN he’s confident the left ankle sprain he experienced on Wednesday won’t keep him out for the Lakers‘ next matchup (Twitter link). “I’ll be OK. I am playing against SAC on Saturday,” Davis said. The star big man missed most of yesterday’s game with the injury.
Austin Reaves says he’s “not really an emotional person” but he nearly teared up after notching a 26-point triple-double and making a game-winning layup in the Lakers‘ Christmas victory over Golden State, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “I know all my people back home are locked in and sitting around with family watching the game and that means a lot to me. I say it all the time, I’m not necessarily supposed to be in this position,” said Reaves, who went undrafted in 2021 and wasn’t heavily recruited coming out of high school. “I got lucky, got my foot in the door and took advantage of an opportunity. And now I’m sitting here … on Christmas with a game-winner and a triple-double, and really the win that matters the most to me.”
Veteran guard Dennis Schröder is still adjusting to his new role after being traded to the Warriors less than two weeks ago, he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape. An impending free agent, Schröder has struggled in his first four games with Golden State after putting up some of the best numbers of his career this season with Brooklyn. He says he doesn’t mind switching teams so many times over the past several years. “Twelve years in, I don’t really care no more,” Schröder said. “As long as I’m somewhere where I’m wanted and people appreciate me, and that is what I’ve had so far from the coaches. Steve Kerr is one of the best coaches. For him to believe in me like that, everybody in the organization telling me, ‘You kicked our ass the last couple of years.’ Of course, that is great. If I can stick here, cool. But if not, then I will move on to next city and organization. I don’t really mind. There are 400 people out of eight billion who play in the NBA. I don’t take those moments for granted. I can play 25, 30, 35 minutes every night. I don’t care what nobody has to say. You played on eight teams. That’s fine. I’m really blessed. I have more money to spend and help my family.”

Fischer’s Latest: C. Johnson, Kumza, Kings, Little, NBA Cup

December 25th, 2024 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA executives who gathered for the G League Showcase in Orlando are curious to see how apron restrictions will affect this year’s trade market, Jake Fischer writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required). Fischer states that there are fewer movable contracts than in past seasons, and teams will have to become more creative to get deals done. He adds that front offices will be “counting tens of thousands of dollars in wiggle room” as they try to stay below the aprons.

Fischer cites complications that could affect deals involving Nets forward Cameron Johnson and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, who are both rumored to be on the trade market. Johnson is making $22.5MM this season, but he also has $4.5MM in various incentives that bring his “apron salary” to $27MM. They include bonuses for playing at least 42 games, reaching the playoffs, scoring at least 15 points per game, and having a true shooting percentage better than 60%. There are five other bonuses, all of which figure into Johnson’s price for any team that acquires him.

Kuzma is in a similar situation, Fischer notes, with a $23.5MM salary and an extra $3MM in unlikely bonuses. His contract also includes a 15% trade kicker, and Fischer states that his apron salary would increase by another $2MM if he were to be traded today.

There’s more from Fischer:

Teams around the league are keeping a close watch on the Kings, who have dropped into 12th place in the West with four straight losses. That slump, combined with last week’s meeting on De’Aaron Fox‘s future involving his agent and team officials, has “raised expectations” that Sacramento will be active ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, according to Fischer.
Fischer hears that Sioux Falls forward Nassir Little has gotten the attention of several NBA teams with his play at the G League Showcase and during the early part of the season. Little, 24, appeared in 45 games with Phoenix last season, but was limited by numerous injuries. He was a first-round pick by Portland in 2019 and could provide immediate, low-cost help for any team with a roster opening. Sources tell Fischer that Little chose the G League over a chance to play in Europe because he believed it gave him a better path back to the NBA. “He’s one of the better game-ready call-up guys,” a scout told Fischer.
Several teams have discovered there are benefits to losing group play games in the NBA Cup, Fischer adds. In addition to often getting easier matchups in the two games that are added to the schedule, teams that didn’t advance to Las Vegas enjoyed a longer break and were able to work in additional practice time.

Kings Notes: Losing Streak, Lineup Changes, Brown, Fox

December 23rd, 2024 at 11:11am CST by Arthur Hill

Kings fans loudly expressed their displeasure Sunday night as the team suffered a 27-point blowout against Indiana that marked its fourth straight loss at home, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Amid pressure to shake up the roster, Sacramento matched its longest losing streak of the season and is in danger of slipping out of the playoff race at 13-17.

“You never want to get booed at home, but we probably deserve it,” Kevin Huerter said. “We just lost three in a row and then you get beat by 30 on your home court during Christmas time. (The fans) deserve better.”

The Kings were hoping to be contenders after adding DeMar DeRozan to an already impressive array of offensive talent. But DeRozan’s frustrating night — scoring just two points while shooting 1-of-7 from the field — has been emblematic of the season-long struggle to mesh everyone together. Malik Monk cited memories of his time with the Lakers when they missed the playoffs despite a talented roster.

“Not playing together, like we’ve been doing all season,” Monk said in explaining Sunday’s loss. “We’ll have a great half and then we’ll go back to one-pass shots, no-pass shots. We’ve just got to continue to move the ball.”

There’s more from Sacramento:

The crowd started chanting for Keon Ellis after the Kings fell behind by 12 points early in the second half, and that’s one of the options coach Mike Brown will consider as he tries to reconfigure his rotation, Anderson adds. Brown told reporters that Ellis, Doug McDermott, Trey Lyles and Isaac Jones might get more playing time. “I’m going to keep searching it,” Brown said. “I was searching a little tonight. We hadn’t shot the ball well the last few games from the three-point line. We did three games ago when Doug got some good minutes. He helped space the floor and we ended up scoring 120-something points against Denver, so I gave him an opportunity tonight, but if somebody new steps in and gets an opportunity like Trey at the five and Doug on the floor, that probably means somebody is going to be out. Tonight, that was Isaac and Keon. Those guys have been playing for us as of late, but they were out tonight just because the minutes aren’t there.” The Kings have a +8.9 net rating in Ellis’ 564 minutes on the court this season and a -2.5 mark in the 891 minutes he hasn’t played.
Brown stressed the need for togetherness throughout the organization following Saturday’s loss to the Lakers, Anderson states in a separate story. Citing a “bunker mentality,” he talked about the commitment that runs from ownership through the front office to the coaching staff. “It always has to be a collective effort,” Brown said. “One of the things I said when I first got the job here is we have to have an alignment vertically and horizontally. Not just during good times, not just when I first got here or when change happens, but you have to do it and it’s even more evident when you hit a little adversity. If that alignment is truly in place and people truly believe, then it’s easy to go through adversity.”
De’Aaron Fox said the Kings needs to find the right mindset to turn their season around, Anderson adds in another piece. “You have to enjoy playing the game period, and you have to enjoy playing with each other,” he said, “and I think we have to find that sense of enjoyment.”

Stein’s Latest: Butler, Beal, Nnaji, Kuzma, Hawkins

December 23rd, 2024 at 8:08am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns‘ interest in acquiring Jimmy Butler is “absolutely genuine,” but they may not have enough assets to entice the Heat, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack column (subscription required).

In theory, Bradley Beal‘s $50MM contract is a good salary match f0r Butler’s $48.8MM deal, and it’s being portrayed in some circles that Beal’s no-trade clause is the major impediment. That’s not really accurate, according to Stein, who states that there’s little evidence that the Heat have interest in adding the 31-year-old guard.

Beal has two more seasons left on his contract at $53.7MM and $57.1MM, which would greatly impact Miami’s future roster flexibility. He has also missed 36% of the Suns’ games since he joined the team at the start of last season. His scoring has dropped significantly after leaving Washington as he’s no longer being asked to carry the offense, although his shooting percentages are still strong at .504/.375/.795.

Stein notes that Phoenix doesn’t have many options to sweeten the deal for Miami. As a second-apron team, the Suns can’t aggregate contracts in a trade and they’ve already parted with most of their draft assets. They don’t have control over their first-round picks for the next six years, leaving just their 2031 first-rounder and three second-rounders to offer.

Stein shares more inside information from around the league:

Stein confirms a report from KC Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network that Zeke Nnaji‘s contract could stand in the way of a potential Nuggets-Bulls trade. One version of a deal would send Nnaji and Michael Porter Jr. to Chicago in exchange for Zach LaVine and Torrey Craig, but the Bulls are reluctant to make a four-year commitment to Nnaji, who has a $32MM contract that runs through 2027/28. Stein reiterates that Denver is considering whether it makes more sense to trade Porter for two rotational pieces, rather than trying to land LaVine.
League executives believe the Wizards are “eager” to move veteran forward Kyle Kuzma before the trade deadline, according to Stein. Washington had a deal in place with Dallas involving Kuzma last winter, but he chose to stay with the Wizards when given the option. He’s not expected to be consulted this time, Stein adds, as Washington’s front office seeks to tear down a roster that has compiled a league-worst 4-22 record. Stein points out that Kuzma has $3MM in unlikely bonuses that could complicate a deal (since they count against the aprons), but his contract is otherwise team-friendly with a declining salary that will reach $19.4MM in 2026/27. Stein adds that the idea that the Mavericks might pursue Kuzma again was “strongly dismissed,” but the Kings could be an option. He describes Sacramento’s recent interest in Kuzma as “up-and-down.”
Stein considers Jordan Hawkins to be among the players who the Pelicans are unlikely to trade before the deadline. The 22-year-old guard is averaging 13.1 PPG in his second NBA season and has taken on a larger role in New Orleans’ offense. Stein previously listed Herbert Jones, Trey Murphy and rookie center Yves Missi as keepers for the Pelicans.

Pacific Notes: Monk, Allen, Budenholzer, Durant, Kuminga

December 22nd, 2024 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are expected to make Kevin Huerter, Trey Lyles, and draft capital available as they go shopping for help on the trade market ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. However, given the fact that Sacramento is off to a 13-16 start this season and is currently out of the play-in picture, teams around the NBA are curious about whether the Kings will consider becoming in-season sellers, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (video link).

“I’m not reporting that Malik Monk is available,” Fischer said. “However, rival teams certainly want to know if Malik Monk will be someone that the Kings are willing to part with.”

In discussing Monk, Fischer acknowledged it would be “tricky” to move last season’s Sixth Man of the Year runner-up, who signed a new four-year, $78MM contract with the Kings over the summer.

“He’s so crucial to what the Kings have done,” Fischer said. “… He’s best friends with De’Aaron Fox dating back to Kentucky. If you’re curious about the long-term ramifications of keeping De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento, you’re probably not wanting to move his best friend, who he recruited to join the Kings.”

Of course, Fox’s own long-term future in Sacramento isn’t certain either, so the Kings are a team worth watching closely in the coming weeks.

We have more items from around the Pacific:

The Suns are monitoring swingman Grayson Allen for a possible concussion, head coach Mike Budenholzer said after Saturday’s loss to Detroit (Twitter link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). “We’ll see how he is in the morning,” Budenholzer said of Allen, who took a Simone Fontecchio elbow to the head while battling the Pistons forward under the basket in the third quarter (video link).
Budenholzer and Kevin Durant engaged in a heated discussion during a timeout in the third quarter of Saturday’s loss, with the head coach appearing to call out Durant for a defensive mistake and the Suns star firing back. Both men downplayed the dispute after the game. “We know we got the microscope on us, so any little spat like that may be taken the wrong way, but coach respects my perspective,” Durant said (Twitter video link via PHNX Sports). “… When you look at it from the outside, the chemistry may look off, but I just think that’s part of great chemistry actually, when you can have those conversations in the heat of the moment and move on.” Budenholzer agreed with Durant’s assessment, as Bourguet relays (Twitter video link). “He’s a pro, he’s coachable,” Budenholzer said. “If you don’t have a few of those, there’s probably something wrong with your team. KD’s the best. He wants to be coached, and I love being around him.”
After starting six games in a row, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga came off the bench on Thursday in Memphis and Saturday in Minnesota. However, head coach Steve Kerr said that the experiment of having Kuminga in the starting five isn’t over, explaining that he started Kyle Anderson on Saturday because he liked how the former Timberwolf matched up against his old team (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). It was Anderson’s first start of the season.

Spurs Positioning Themselves To Target De’Aaron Fox

December 21st, 2024 at 11:50am CST by Tristan Tucker

Star guard De’Aaron Fox‘s agent — Klutch Sports founder and CEO Rich Paul — met with Kings general manager Monte McNair and assistant general manager Wes Wilcox on Thursday. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Anthony Slater, the meeting focused on what the long-term plan around Fox would be.

Fox declined a three-year, $165MM extension from the Kings in the offseason and isn’t interested in fighting for a lower-seed playoff spot for the rest of his career. He recently discussed the decision to turn down that extension, explaining that he wants the club to show it’s capable of seriously contending for a championship.

While Fox hasn’t asked for a trade, Amick and Slater write that the Kings star and his agent are reading the room to see what the Kings’ vision is. Fox has another year left on his deal and would qualify for a five-year, $345MM super-max contract if he makes an All-NBA selection this year.

The Kings aren’t a bad team, but they’ve been inconsistent in the first half and there’s little room for inconsistency in a competitive Western Conference, where they rank 12th at 13-15. Fox has stated multiple times that he likes the idea of spending his entire career with one franchise and he has been a major force in the local community. But with Sacramento stuck on the outside looking in for now, opposing teams have started to circle.

League sources tell Amick and Slater that the Spurs are “positioning themselves” to pursue a trade for Fox should he become available, eyeing him to be a long-term partner with Victor Wembanyama. Other teams would likely join San Antonio as suitors if Sacramento considers a trade.

While the Kings have shortened the rotation and their record isn’t inspiring thus far, they are still just three games out of a top-five seed in the West. They’re armed with proven NBA players like Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk, among others, and they’ve suffered several tight losses, with a 3-9 record in games decided by five points or less.

The Kings know they need an upgrade and are specifically targeting backup centers and wings. Among the names on their short list are Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, Jazz forward John Collins, Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas, Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, and Nets forward Cameron Johnson, according to Amick and Slater. They’ve also expressed some lesser interest in Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, while a bigger trade for Brandon Ingram or Zach LaVine seems unlikely at this juncture.

Fox is having one of his most productive seasons yet, averaging 26.2 points, 6.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. But while his production is up, head coach Mike Brown has challenged him to do even more. As Amick and Slater report, there’s some pressure on the Kings to further fortify their roster to convince him to re-up long term.

Pacific Notes: James, Harden, Harkless, Fox, Schröder

December 19th, 2024 at 8:58pm CST by Tristan Tucker

LeBron James enters Thursday just 10 minutes from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most total minutes played in regular season NBA history after having passed him in total minutes (playoffs included) last year. He’s likely to set the regular season record against the Kings. James discussed the achievement with The Athletic’s Jovan Buha and Sam Amick.

“I just think it’s just a commitment to the craft and to the passion and love I have for the game,” James said. “I don’t take much time in the offseason. A little bit more time now, I didn’t take much time in the offseason, no matter if I was making the 10 Finals appearances back to back and just always trying to keep my body in tip-top shape.

“And I’ve been able to, like I said, play a lot of minutes and for the most part of my career be injury-free and be available. I don’t want to say injury-free. We all have our injuries in this league and in this sport. But to be available for the majority to my teammates, to the franchises, the three franchises I play for, is something I took very seriously.”

James has been rehabbing an injury over the past couple weeks, missing a pair of games last week. According to Buha and Amick, he’s open to resting down the line if it makes sense in the schedule.

“I’m just not a guy that likes to sit games, if I’m somewhat healthy,” James said. “It doesn’t matter. It’s just, it’s never been my thing. … If there’s an opportunity where it could benefit my body and benefit my play long-term for the better of the team, then I’m always open to having that conversation. So we’ll see what happens.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

As a result of Kawhi Leonard‘s knee injury and Paul George‘s free agency departure, James Harden has been the only member of the Clippers‘ former big three still standing this season and has continued to keep the team competitive by providing strong leadership and playing big minutes, Janis Carr of The Orange County Register writes. Harden is averaging 22.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 35.3% from beyond the arc. The Clippers entered Thursday at 15-12. “If he has a bad shooting night, the next night he’s probably going to come back and play well,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “That’s what good players do. They bounce back. We’ve asked him to do a lot. He’s carried a load offensively, making the right passes, reads and also scoring the basketball. And at 35 years old, that can get tiring. So, we are asking a lot of him.“
Current San Diego Clippers guard Elijah Harkless is drawing NBA interest ahead of the G League Showcase, SNY’s Ian Begley reports (via Twitter). Harkless is averaging 15.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.6 steals per contest for L.A.’s G League club. He went undrafted in 2023 out of UNLV and spent back-to-back offseasons on a training camp deal with the Clippers.
The Kings have won three of their last four games and four of their past six, but they dropped some winnable games earlier in the season and are at an uneven 13-14, good for 12th in the Western Conference. Head coach Mike Brown challenged star De’Aaron Fox to help the team continue to lock in and focus on the details, according to FOX 40 Sacramento’s Sean Cunningham (Twitter link). “Fox has to step up,” Brown said. “He’s a great player, on the verge of being a superstar…you have a lot of responsibility if you’re that guy, and he’s that guy. And he can’t be a part of not being locked in and he damn sure can’t be a part of letting it go if we’re not [locked in] as a team.“
Dennis Schröder appeared in his first game as a member of the Warriors, starting on Thursday after being traded by the Nets. As observed by ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk (Twitter link), Jonathan Kuminga moved to the bench after having started each of Golden State’s past six games.

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