Kings Notes: DeRozan, Westbrook, Cardwell, Hayes
It has been a challenging season for Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, who made it clear at the end of January that he’d prefer to be playing more meaningful games this late in his career. The 36-year-old erupted for a season-high 39 points (on 17-of-22 shooting) in Wednesday’s loss to Charlotte, passing Spurs great Tim Duncan for 18th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
“I don’t take nothing in this game for granted,” said DeRozan, a six-time All-Star in his 17th NBA season. “I never would have imagined coming into the league I would be playing this long, I would have the opportunities I’ve had, I would accomplish things I have.
“Me just being a fan of the game my whole entire life, it’s an honor to be in a position to accomplish any type of goal in this league. It’s crazy to be in that position and I don’t take none of this for granted. I just love playing basketball at the end of the day, and at the end of the day, you look up and things like this happen. It’s definitely cool.”
Here’s more from Sacramento:
- In an interesting story for The Sporting News, Stephen Noh takes a look at “the hidden side” of Russell Westbrook, noting that the veteran Kings guard is often hostile towards the media but is beloved by teammates and widely considered one of the kindest players in the league off the court. Rockets center Clint Capela called the former league MVP the “most genuine superstar” he’s played with. “Very happy person. Very nice guy,” Capela told Noh. “Always smiling, always joking around. I was like, ‘Wow, I never thought that a superstar could also be that great of a guy.'”
- Rookie big man Dylan Cardwell, who has been out since February 11 due to a left ankle sprain, was a full participant in Friday’s practice, writes James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com. Cardwell isn’t on the injury report ahead of Saturday’s contest at the Clippers, which means he should be active after missing 11 straight games.
- Killian Hayes discussed his time with the Kings on Friday, as Sean Cunningham of KCRA News relays (Twitter video link). “It’s a fun group,” Hayes said. “I think we’ve got great chemistry off the court, and on the court, we’ve gotta keep playing hard, keep playing for one another.” The sixth-year guard said he’s trying not to think about his contract situation — his second 10-day deal with Sacramento expires on Saturday night, and the Kings will have to either let him go or sign him to a rest-of-season contract at that point.
Kings Sign Killian Hayes To Second 10-Day Deal
After his initial 10-day contract with the Kings expired on Wednesday night, guard Killian Hayes has signed a second 10-day deal with the club, agent Yann Balikouzou confirmed to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Hayes’ newest contract is listed in NBA.com’s official transaction log.
Hayes made five appearances during his first 10 days with Sacramento, averaging 2.2 points and 3.4 assists in 13.0 minutes per night off the bench. The 24-year-old, whose limited offensive game has been an issue since he entered the NBA as the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft, struggled with his shot in those five outings, making just 4-of-27 shots from the floor (14.8%).
The 6’5″ guard spent the better part of four NBA seasons in Detroit from 2020-24 before being waived near the end of his rookie contract. He has played in the G League for most of the past two years, signing a 10-day contract with Brooklyn last February and now a pair of 10-day deals with Sacramento this winter.
In 28 NBAGL games with the Cleveland Charge in 2025/26, Hayes has averaged 23.1 points, 8.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per contest with a shooting line of .468/.325/.800.
Hayes will earn $153,330 during his second 10-day deal with the Kings, bringing his total earnings with the team to $306,660. His two 10-day contracts will carry a total cap charge of $263,940 ($131,970 apiece).
Hayes’ second 10-day deal will cover the Kings’ next five games before expiring after next Saturday’s matchup with the Clippers. Since players aren’t permitted to sign three 10-day contracts with the same team, Sacramento would have to either sign the guard to a rest-of-season contract or let him go at that point.
Kings Sign Killian Hayes To 10-Day Contract
February 23: The Kings have officially signed Hayes, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets.
February 22: The Kings plan to sign free agent guard Killian Hayes to a 10-day contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).
Detroit selected Hayes with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft, but he struggled with offensive efficiency during his Pistons tenure and the team waived him in February 2024.
Still just 24 years old, Hayes has largely been out of the NBA for the past two seasons. He spent most of last season in the G League with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island, averaging 17.3 points, 7.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals on .463/.371/.689 shooting in 33 games (32.9 minutes per contest).
Hayes, who played six games with the Nets in 2024/25 on a 10-day contract, signed an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with the Cavaliers in the fall to secure a bonus for playing for their affiliate team, the Cleveland Charge. Through 28 games with the Charge this season, Hayes is averaging 23.1 PPG, 8.3 APG, 3.9 RPG and 1.7 SPG on .468/.325/.800 shooting.
The Kings have an opening on their standard roster, which means they won’t need to waive anyone to sign Hayes. As a five-year veteran, Hayes will earn $153,330 over the course of his 10 days with Sacramento, while the Kings will carry a cap charge of $131,970.
G Leaguers Making Cases For NBA Promotions
Over the past 10 days, several players have earned promotions to either standard or two-way contracts. Several more transactions will be coming this week, as January 5 marks the first day clubs can sign players to standard 10-day contracts and Jan. 7 is the final day in which players who have non-guaranteed salaries (including two-ways) can be waived before their deals become guaranteed.
With that in mind, Keith Smith of Spotrac recently listed 23 players — seven ball-handlers, 10 wings and six bigs — who have been playing well in the G League and are candidates to receive NBA promotions either in the coming days or later in the season. One player from Smith’s list — Tristen Newton — just signed a two-way deal with Houston.
Smith compiled the list based on his own film reviews and spoke to NBA executives, scouts and player agents to solicit their input as well.
Most of the G Leaguers Smith cites have previous NBA experience. That group includes Kobe Bufkin, Killian Hayes, Dalano Banton, Kevin Knox II, Jalen Slawson, Charles Bassey, Moses Brown, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, among others. Bufkin, Bassey and Robinson-Earl actually spent time with NBA teams in 2025/26.
Smith singles out Slawson of the Noblesville Boom as the “best all-around player” to this point in the NBAGL season. A 6’7″ forward who was selected 54th overall in the 2023 draft, Slawson has been filling up the stat sheet for the Pacers‘ affiliate, averaging 21.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.0 blocks in 10 games (34.2 minutes per contest).
There are also a handful players on Smith’s list who have not yet received their first NBA call-ups, including Darius Brown II (Cleveland Charge), Teddy Allen (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) and Matthew Cleveland (Texas Legends). According to Smith, Cleveland has been one of the top rookies at the G League level — the undrafted wing out of Miami is suiting up for the Mavericks‘ affiliate.
Cavaliers Waive Killian Hayes
The Cavaliers have waived Killian Hayes, reports HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (via Twitter).
Scotto notes that Hayes, who was on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs, is expected to join the team’s G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.
Hayes was selected seventh overall by the Pistons during the 2020 draft. He played four years in Detroit before spending part of last season with the Nets, with whom he averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 38.1% on three-pointers in six appearances.
Hayes also played 18 games with the Long Island Nets, averaging 20.7 points, 7.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per contest while knocking down 41.7% of his threes.
A strong defender as a 6’5″ point guard, Hayes has struggled with scoring consistency during his time in the league, as evidenced by his career 28.1% three-point mark. Scotto notes that he is still hopeful to find another NBA deal.
Hayes was one of three players cut today by the Cavaliers, per NBA.com’s official transaction log. Camp invitees Tristan Enaruna and Norchad Omier were also placed on waivers and will likely end up with the Charge as well.
Cavaliers Sign Killian Hayes, Four Others
September 26: The Cavaliers have officially signed Hayes, according to the team, which formally announced its training camp roster on Friday.
The Cavs also completed previously reported Exhibit 10 agreements with Baylor forward Norchad Omier and former Auburn forward Chaney Johnson, in addition to signing free agent wing Tristan Enaruna and forward Miller Kopp. The club now has a full 21-man roster for camp.
September 23: The Cavaliers and former lottery pick Killian Hayes have agreed to a contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Details were not disclosed but it’s almost certainly a training camp deal with no certainty of making the opening night roster. However, the Cavaliers need to fill out their 21-man preseason roster — adding Hayes would give them 16 players, five short of the training camp maximum.
In a related move, Cleveland acquired Hayes’ G League rights in a trade with the Nets’ affiliate. The Long Island Nets acquired a first- and a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA G League Draft from the Cleveland Charge in exchange for the returning player rights to Hayes.
Hayes reportedly drew interest from teams in Europe this offseason, but was focused on earning another NBA opportunity.
ASVEL Basket in France reportedly made Hayes a strong offer and Real Madrid in Spain and Anadolu Efes in Turkey also registered some interest in the free agent point guard.
However, Hayes is hoping to stick in the NBA after appearing in 216 regular season games across the past five seasons. The seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Pistons, he struggled to adjust to the NBA game in Detroit, where he made just 38.2% of his field goal attempts and 27.7% of his 3-point attempts across four seasons from 2020-24.
Still, Hayes is just 24 years old and played well in a very small sample with Brooklyn last season, averaging 9.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game and making 38.1% of his three-point tries in six appearances (five starts). The 6’5″ Frenchman spent most of 2024/25 playing for the Long Island Nets in the G League, where he put up 17.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 5.4 RPG on .463/.371/.689 shooting in 33 outings (32.9 MPG).
Hayes is no longer eligible for a two-way contract, so if he hopes to make an NBA roster this fall, he’ll have to do it by earning a standard 15-man spot.
Killian Hayes Focused On Remaining In NBA
Former lottery pick Killian Hayes has drawn interest from teams in Europe this offseason, but is focused on earning another NBA opportunity, according to a report from Gabriel Pantel-Jouve of BeBasket (hat tip to Eurohoops).
ASVEL Basket in France made Hayes a strong offer, per Pantel-Jouve, who says Real Madrid in Spain and Anadolu Efes in Turkey also registered some interest in the free agent point guard. All three clubs compete in the EuroLeague.
However, Hayes is hoping to stick in the NBA after appearing in 216 regular season games across the past five seasons. The seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft, he struggled to adjust to the NBA game in Detroit, where he made just 38.2% of his field goal attempts and 27.7% of his outside shots across four seasons from 2020-24.
Still, Hayes is just 24 years old and played well in a very small sample with Brooklyn last season, averaging 9.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game and making 38.1% of his three-point tries in six appearances (five starts). The 6’5″ Frenchman spent most of 2024/25 playing for the Long Island Nets in the G League, where he put up 17.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 5.4 RPG on .463/.371/.689 shooting in 33 outings (32.9 MPG).
Hayes is no longer eligible for a two-way contract, so if he hopes to make an NBA roster this fall, he’d have to do it by earning a standard 15-man spot.
Nets Notes: Russell, Thomas, Hayes
D’Angelo Russell has said he’d like to extend his second stint in Brooklyn, a team with whom he has spent 152 games with during his career. He’s on an expiring $18.7MM contract and spoke again about his impending free agency with the New York Post’s Brian Lewis.
“I don’t think it’s in my control, to be honest,” Russell said. “I’ve been on the team before where everybody was free agents, too. So they’ve got the leverage, they’ve got the cards. If they decide to bring me back, cool. If not, we’ll figure it out.”
Since being traded to the Nets ahead of this year’s deadline, Russell is averaging 13.3 points and 5.7 assists. Brooklyn saw the point guard blossom into an All-Star in his age-22 season in 2018/19, then signed-and-traded him to Golden State during the 2019 offseason as part of the team’s Kevin Durant acquisition.
“Hope? Yeah. [But] I just want to be in the NBA,” Russell said when asked if he hopes to remain with the Nets. “I don’t think I’ve ever been a free agent. I look back on it, I’ve never been. For me, it’s a weird feeling, but see how it goes. I signed an extension with the Lakers, two years — one-plus-one, player option. I just never hit [free agency]. So I’m excited to see.”
We have more on the Nets:
- Like Russell, Cam Thomas is also set to be a free agent this summer, though he’ll be restricted rather than unrestricted. “It’s a business, but at the end of the day,” Thomas said, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter video link). “I would love to be back and get that straightened out to keep playing in front of the fans and keep building the relationships I’ve built here because I was drafted here.”
- Thomas is averaging 24.0 points and 3.8 assists this season while shooting 34.9% on 7.8 three-point attempts per game. However, he was limited to just 25 games this season before being shut down due to his latest hamstring injury. Head coach Jordi Fernandez discussed Thomas’s summer and what the plan is for him moving forward, per Scotto (Twitter link). “Cam’s been great for the group,” Fernandez said. “He’s worked every single day. He’s built relationships. We all know his superpower of being a very good scorer. The way we played through him, I thought the team was playing at a high level. We’ll go through the summer together. We have a plan in place. The plan is going to be a team that wins consistently, and we’re going to get there together.“
- Killian Hayes rejoined the Nets’ G League affiliate in Long Island after not getting a second 10-day from Brooklyn earlier this month (though that could still be an option down the line). As Scott Mitchell of NetsDaily observes, Hayes had a career game on Friday, scoring a professional career-high 38 points along with eight threes. Even though he’s playing for Brooklyn’s affiliate, the veteran guard is eligible to sign with any NBA team.
And-Ones: Flagg, 2025 Draft, Hayes, Kaminsky, Records, RoY
Duke forward Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, sustained a left ankle injury after corralling a rebound and landing on an opponent’s foot in the first half on Thursday vs. Georgia Tech (YouTube link via ESPN).
Flagg was eventually helped to the locker room with the assistance of teammates, and while he was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest, he was at least able to return to the bench to cheer on the comeback victory.
“He sprained his ankle,” head coach Jon Scheyer said (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com). “X-rays were negative, which is great. We just have to understand there’s going to be swelling and to see how he recovers and how he goes from there.”
In their latest 2025 mock draft for ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) unsurprisingly have Flagg going first overall (to Washington). Two other Blue Devils — center Khaman Maluach and wing Kon Knueppel — also go in the lottery, coming off the board with back-to-back picks (seventh and eighth overall, respectively).
UConn’s Liam McNeeley is the final lottery pick of ESPN’s mock, going 14th to Atlanta (via Sacramento), while South East Melbourne forward Malique Lewis is the last player selected at No. 59 (Cleveland). Lewis, who spent last season in the G League with the Mexico City Capitanes, grew up in Trinidad and Tobago.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Killian Hayes has rejoined the Long Island Nets following a 10-day contract with Brooklyn, the G League team announced today in a press release. The former lottery pick averaged 9.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in six games with Brooklyn from February 20 – March 1. He has spent most of ’24/25 with Long Island.
- Veteran NBA big man Frank Kaminsky is no longer on the Raptors 905 roster, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca, who points out (via Twitter) that the former Wisconsin star has been battling a knee injury and recently announced he and his wife are expecting a child. Kaminsky, who spent last season in Serbia, last played in the NBA with Houston in ’22/23. The 31-year-old appeared in 23 regular season games with Toronto’s NBAGL affiliate in ’24/25, averaging 12.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 4.1 APG on .483/.349/.769 shooting in 26.8 MPG.
- ESPN’s Brian Windhorst takes a look at some of the NBA’s most unbreakable records. Some records are season-long (Wilt Chamberlain for multiple statistics in ’61/62), some are career-long (Moses Malone‘s 6,731 offensive rebounds), and some are for a single game.
- Zach Harper of The Athletic checks in on the underwhelming Rookie of the Year race. Harper currently has Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells as his top choice for the award, followed by Spurs guard Stephon Castle and Wells’ teammate Zach Edey.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers’ Acquisitions, Nets, Clowney, Knicks
The Sixers made moves at the deadline to get younger and more athletic, bringing in Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler before signing Lonnie Walker IV. Having lost Joel Embiid for the season, Philadelphia hasn’t become a better team as a result of its pivot to youth, but it has shown a vision for the younger players to become members of the rotation next season.
As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, Grimes in particular has been a standout addition. He’s shown to be capable in either a starting or reserve role and is averaging 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 52.4% shooting from the floor in his 11 games (eight starts) with Philadelphia. He’s scored at least 30 points three times, including 44 in a win over the red-hot Warriors last weekend.
Grimes will be a restricted free agent this summer, giving the Sixers the right to match any outside offers.
As for Butler, the Sixers were excited to acquire the former two-way guard from Washington, promoting him to a standard deal quickly upon his arrival. According to Pompey, the Sixers were interested in Butler during the 2021 draft and wanted to get a closer look at him, giving up a first-round pick in the process (and getting four seconds in return).
Pompey writes Butler has shown flashes but that Jeff Dowtin, currently on a two-way deal, has taken his spot in the rotation. Butler has a team option worth $2.35MM for next season that the Sixers will decide on this summer.
Walker has also gotten a chance to play a rotation role, averaging 16.7 minutes in his first six games. Pompey writes that Walker is still getting adjusted back to the NBA after playing overseas for the first half of the season. Like Butler, Walker has a team option for next season.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets have an open roster spot after not immediately extending Killian Hayes another 10-day contract. Net Income of NetsDaily notes that Brooklyn has a cushion of $1.08MM under the luxury tax, but Cameron Johnson is likely to hit an incentive that will cut that number in half. Still, there’s value in signing a player into that approximately half-million in anticipated space. Since rest-of-season salaries are prorated, the Nets won’t have a problem adding someone on a minimum deal. Tosan Evbuomwan is one candidate for a standard deal, since he’s been a part of the rotation, but Net Income notes that Evbuomwan’s two-way deal covers two years, so there’s no real rush to promote him. The Nets could circle back to Hayes later on or sign another player from a G League team.
- Nets second-year big Noah Clowney hasn’t played since Jan. 27, but it sounds as though he’s inching toward a return. According to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis (Twitter link), Clowney had his first five-on-five scrimmage on Thursday. Clowney is averaging 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds this season.
- The Knicks are 0-7 this season against the top three teams in the league: the Thunder, Celtics and Cavaliers. On paper, New York has a contending roster, filled with versatile defenders on the wings and stars in Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson. So what’s causing the slide against the league’s best? According to ESPN’s Chris Herring, simple factors are at play. For one, while the Knicks’ offense ranks fourth in rating, they rank 28th in three-point attempt rate. “At the root of it all, it’s math,” an Eastern Conference scout said, per Herring. “They’re really efficient, and will win a ton of games. But the [three-point] volume isn’t enough to beat the Clevelands and the Bostons. Especially when you also factor in that the Knicks are [offensive] rebounding and getting to the line a lot less than last year’s team did.” Additionally, the Knicks’ defense ranks 19th in the league.