Daniel Batcho

Kings Sign, Waive Mitch Mascari, Daniel Batcho

October 13: Both players have been waived, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.


Ocotber 10, 8:00 pm: As expected, Mascari and Batcho have officially signed their non-guaranteed contracts with the Kings, per RealGM’s transaction log.


October 10, 11:51 am: The Kings have reached an agreement to sign free agent shooting guard Mitch Mascari, agent George S. Langberg tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Mascari, who won a pair of NCAA DII championships at Northwest Missouri State in 2021 and 2022, transferred to Drake for his final year of college in 2024/25. The 6’5″ guard averaged 9.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game across 35 outings last season, knocking down 40.3% of his three-point tries. He played all 40 minutes in Drake’s victory over Missouri in the first round of the NCAA tournament, racking up four steals in that game.

Mascari suited up for the Suns’ Summer League team in Las Vegas this summer and averaged 1.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG in 10.9 MPG in three contests.

While Scotto didn’t provide any details on the agreement, it’s almost certainly an Exhibit 10 contract that will put Mascari in line to be an affiliate player for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League team. If he spends at least 60 days with Stockton, the undrafted rookie would be eligible to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth a maximum of $85,300.

Since Sacramento has multiple openings on its 21-man preseason roster, no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Mascari. According to James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link), expectation is that the move will happen later today, along with the reported signing of Daniel Batcho, with both players waived shortly thereafter.

Kings To Sign Daniel Batcho To Exhibit 10 Contract

The Kings plan to sign forward Daniel Batcho to an Exhibit 10 contract with the intent of having him join their NBA G League team in Stockton, James Ham of The Kings Beat reports (Twitter links).

Adding Batcho to the camp roster would give Sacramento 21 players, the league maximum.

Batcho, who attended Louisiana Tech, worked out for the Kings prior to the draft. Batcho played four years of college ball, the first two with Texas Tech. He started 32 games for Louisiana Tech last season, averaging 16.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game.

Batcho, who stands 6’11” and was born in Paris, France, was a member of the Kings’ Summer League squad.

Once he’s waived, he’ll be eligible for a bonus up to $85.300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Stockton Kings.

Pacific Notes: Durant, Lakers, Kings Draft

Kevin Durant is one of the biggest names to watch this offseason following reports that the Suns‘ 36-year-old star has likely played his last game in Phoenix. With that in mind, Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin broke down six 2025 playoff teams who might make sense as Durant suitors, exploring how he would fit on each roster and what they could offer the Suns in a potential trade.

The first destination Rankin looked at is the Timberwolves, who reportedly had legitimate interest in Durant at the 2025 trade deadline. While Rankin says the Suns should be most interested in Julius Randle, his proposed deal includes Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, and young depth like Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark.

Other trade options considered by Rankin involve a one-for-one trade with the Warriors for Jimmy Butler, a deal that lands the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant or Desmond Bane in Phoenix, two centered around young upside swings for either the Rockets’ Jalen Green and Jabari Smith or the Pistons’ Jaden Ivey, and a depth-replenishing trade with the Heat for Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, and Kel’el Ware.

While the Suns face cap-related limitations on any deal, Durant will undoubtedly have his share of suitors once the trade markets open.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • After rescinding their trade for the Hornets’ Mark Williams, the Lakers were stuck without a playable starting center in the 2025 playoffs. Going into the 2025/26 season, filling that hole will be priority one, especially given Luka Doncic‘s love of playing with a lob threat, writes Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. Price quotes general manager Rob Pelinka‘s address to the media following the season: “It would be great to have a center that was a vertical threat, lob threat, and someone that could protect the interior defensively… There’s also spread centers that can protect the rim. We’ll look at those as well. I wouldn’t want to limit the archetype, but we know we need a big man.” Price lists the Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford and the Nets’ Nic Claxton as prime trade targets, while the Hawks’ Clint Capela stands out as a top free agent option.
  • The Kings announced six pre-draft workouts for Monday, June 2nd, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). That list includes Marcus Williams from USF, Alijah Martin out of Florida, Chibuzo Agbo from USC, Texas’ Arthur Kaluma, David N’Guessan from Kansas State, and Daniel Batcho of Louisiana Tech. While a majority of the candidates are big men, Williams and Martin are both 6’2″ well-rounded guards. Martin is the only ranked player on ESPN’s top-100 board from the group of candidates, coming in at No. 61, after averaging 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 36% from three.