The Kings will be without De’Andre Hunter for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes and Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who report (via Twitter) that the veteran forward will undergo eye surgery.
Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento confirms the news (Twitter link).
Hunter, Sacramento’s lone acquisition ahead of the trade deadline, suffered an eye injury in his second game as a King. He missed the team’s last three games before the All-Star break due to left eye iritis (inflammation of the iris).
The 28-year-old seemed to be on the verge of returning after the break, as he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. However, he missed Thursday’s loss to Orlando — Sacramento’s 15th straight defeat — and now will be out for the team’s final 25 games of the season.
Hunter is the third highly-paid member of the Kings who is done for the season, joining Domantas Sabonis (knee surgery) and Zach LaVine (hand surgery). The Kings are just 12-45, the worst record in the NBA.
The fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter spent his first five-and-a-half seasons with Atlanta prior to being traded to Cleveland last year. While he played well with the Cavs down the stretch of ’24/25, he struggled with his outside shot this season, and the team sent him to the Kings earlier this month in a three-team deal which saw Cleveland acquire Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder.
Hunter appeared in 45 games this season, averaging 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.1 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .415/.305/.867.
Hunter, who makes $23.3MM this season, is under contract through ’26/27. He will earn $24.9MM next season ahead of free agency.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), the Kings will soon qualify for a hardship exception with Hunter, Sabonis, LaVine and Dylan Cardwell (left ankle sprain) all out for an extended period. They also have a standard roster opening as well as a two-way vacancy after promoting Cardwell.
Video of Hunter injury
link to youtube.com
Probably means he’s wearing goggles rest of his career would be my guess.
Wow this is really a good tank job by the kings. Thrre completely random season ending surgery in 3 days
I wouldn’t call them random.
Sabonis did have partially torn meniscus and might as well get it treated now in lost season.
Lavine had hand injuries earlier in season
Hunter did suffer a hit in the eye
Sabinos could have got surgery months ago, but he didn’t in an attenpt to let it naturally heal. All of this is absolutely disgusting of a tank. They need to be punished significantly. It’s egregious
Any doctor worth a damn does tell someone to let something naturally heal first instead of opting for surgery right away unless complete tears or broken limbs. It is the proper step.
They do see the season as lost by this point and if the injury never naturally healed after months then surgery is okay.
Unclear if you understand what the word “random” means.
Pretty much any surgery is season ending when there are two months remaining.
Kings have been running an ethical tank all year. They wanted to make the playoffs this year. They legitimately suck at basketball. They haven’t made up fake illnesses for DeMar DeRozan the way the Jazz have for Markkanen. The Jazz have been tanking for THREE YEARS to keep a pick they traded to OKC to get out of paying Derrick Favors.
DeMar DeRozan just wants to hoop. You have to respect it regardless going out there for every game even though most games are nasty to watch. He needs a better situation
The Jazz owned their own pick the last 2 years and this season they could possibly lose it to the Thunder we know that. They have no choice really for this year. They will be competing next season.
They had the worst record in the league with them playing. They aren’t tanking, they are just this bad.
Demar Derozan is looking around like: “Who’s next? Must be my turn.”
DeRozan is trying to get to 30,000 and ensure he’s a Hall of Famer. He’s going to be Top 20 in scoring by the end of the year.
He hasn’t missed a game this year and is probably going for 82 the same way Chris Paul did last year.