Sacramento Kings Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Kuminga, CP3, Horford, Westbrook, Lillard

July 2nd, 2025 at 11:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are “very engaged” on Warriors restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, according to Matt George of ABC 10 in Sacramento (Twitter links).

While the Kings have seemingly been extremely willing to discuss Malik Monk in trade scenarios, Monk likely wouldn’t be involved in any deal for Kuminga, says George, noting that Golden State doesn’t appear to have much interest in the veteran guard.

George has heard that the Kings have explored sending out guard Devin Carter, forward Dario Saric, and draft compensation as part of a deal to acquire Kuminga via sign-and-trade (Twitter link). If a deal along those lines came to fruition, it would likely be combined with Sacramento’s Saric/Jonas Valanciunas swap with Denver in order to maximize the Kings’ outgoing salary, which would allow them to give Kuminga a more lucrative deal.

However, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), there’s no agreement imminent at this point. Conversations on the Kuminga front with the Warriors and “several” teams are ongoing, Slater adds.

Here are a few more items of interest on some of the top free agents still on the board:

After starting all 82 games for San Antonio this past season, veteran point guard Chris Paul is hoping to be a starter again in 2025/26, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), which is one reason why he’s still weighing his options in free agency. Reynolds says the Clippers are hoping Paul will join them, while Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter video link) views the Suns as his most likely landing spot. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) believes Paul would like to return to Phoenix, but thinks there would be a very limited role for him with the Suns, so he considered a reunion unlikely.
The Warriors have been “very aggressive” in trying to recruit Al Horford to Golden State, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Twitter video link). Windhorst believes Horford could end up in the West Coast if he continues his career, noting that the Lakers are among the other teams pursuing him. Windhorst’s report came before the Lakers reached an agreement with Deandre Ayton, but Los Angeles could still use frontcourt depth and still has its $5.1MM bi-annual exception available.
Russell Westbrook, an L.A. native, would like to “be closer to home,” according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter video link). Multiple reports this week have linked Westbrook to the Kings, but it sounds like that would only become a viable option if Sacramento ends up trading Monk.
In ranking what he believes are the top five best landing spots for Damian Lillard once he becomes a free agent, Spears places the Timberwolves atop his list (Twitter video link). Mike Conley is still penciled in as Minnesota’s starting point guard, but he’ll be 38 in October and struggled in the postseason, and the Wolves don’t have much reliable depth at the position behind him. Lillard could be a perfect fit, though he’ll miss most or all of the 2025/26 season while recovering from his Achilles tear.
In addition to previously reported suitors like Milwaukee and Indiana, the Knicks, Clippers, Cavaliers, and Nuggets also expressed some level of interest in Ayton before he agreed to join the Lakers, Shams Charania of ESPN said on SportsCenter (Twitter video link). Charania added that several suitors reached out to Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin to ask about Ayton and got “rave reviews of him as a teammate.”

Pistons Sign-And-Trade Dennis Schröder To Kings

July 2nd, 2025 at 7:10pm CST by Rory Maher

July 7: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Kings.

In addition to receiving Schröder, Sacramento acquired the least favorable of the Bucks’, Knicks’, and Pistons’ 2029 second-round picks, per James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). Detroit generated a sizable trade exception and received the Hornets’ top-55 protected 2026 second-round pick.

July 2: Schröder will be sent to Sacramento via sign-and-trade, reports Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).

Structuring the move that way will allow the Kings to take Schröder into their $16.8MM trade exception while preserving their full mid-level exception, and will let the Pistons either create a $14MM+ trade exception or expand the deal to take back a player earning up to nearly $23MM.

It’s not yet clear what the Kings will send to the Pistons as part of the deal, but it’ll likely be a minor asset. Although the two teams discussed Monk, as noted below, reporting on Tuesday indicated he wouldn’t be involved in this transaction.

July 1: The Kings are signing Dennis Schröder to a three-year contract worth $45MM, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). The deal will be fully guaranteed through two years, with a partial guarantee on the third season, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported a few hours before free agency opened that the German guard was expected to sign with Sacramento for the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, while Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link) said on Monday evening that Schröder would agree to a deal with Sacramento.

Those earlier reports pointed toward a two-year deal, but Schröder will get an extra year. It still could be a non-taxpayer MLE deal, which would be worth roughly $44.4MM over three years, though a sign-and-trade is a possibility — contracts signed via sign-and-trade must cover at least three seasons, which may explain the additional year.

There were rumors on Monday that Detroit and Sacramento were exploring a deal that would include Malik Monk. The Kings could also acquire Schröder via sign-and-trade using a sizable trade exception they created earlier this year. In that scenario, they wouldn’t have to send out any matching salary.

According to Goodwill, no sign-and-trade has been agreed to at this point, but that could change in the coming days.

After spending his first five NBA seasons in Atlanta, Schröder has bounced around the league over the past seven years, playing for eight different teams. That was particularly true of the 2024/25 campaign, when he was traded from Brooklyn to Golden State in December and then rerouted to Detroit before the February deadline.

Overall, the former first-round pick (No. 17 overall in 2013) played in 75 games last season, including 48 starts (28.1 minutes per contest), averaging 13.1 points, 5.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds on .406/.342/.838 shooting. He also had a strong playoff showing for the Pistons, averaging 12.5 PPG, 3.7 APG, 2.5 RPG and 1.2 SPG on .491/.476/.813 shooting in six games during the team’s first-round loss to New York (27.3 MPG).

Schröder, who turns 32 years old in September, will provide speed, ball-handling, and point-of-attack defense to a Kings team in need of point guard help after trading De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio in February. He marks the first significant free agent addition of the new front office, which is led by general manager Scott Perry.

Kings Sign Maxime Raynaud To Three-Year Deal

July 2nd, 2025 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have signed former Stanford big man Maxime Raynaud to a three-year contract worth $5.95MM, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The deal is fully guaranteed for the first two seasons, with a team option for 2027/28, Scotto adds. It has been officially completed, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

Sacramento completed the signing using the second-round pick exception. As we detailed earlier today, a three-year contract that uses that exception and starts at the rookie minimum is worth a total of $5,949,688. Second-round picks can sign their contracts during the July moratorium, which is why the Kings didn’t have to wait until July 6 to get it done.

Raynaud, who spent his full four-year college career at Stanford, had a massive season in 2024/25, averaging 20.2 points and a conference-high 10.6 rebounds, along with 1.4 blocks per game. He also began shooting from beyond the arc a little more, knocking down 34.7% of 5.5 three-pointers per game.

Raynaud was the No. 42 overall pick in last week’s draft.

Checking In On Top Remaining NBA Free Agents

July 2nd, 2025 at 7:17am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s free agent period officially opened less than 40 hours ago, but the list of this year’s top available players has already been pretty picked clean, with 35 of the players from our list of 2025’s top 50 free agents having already agreed to terms with a team.

Here are the players from our list remain available:

Josh Giddey, G, (Bulls RFA)
Jonathan Kuminga, F, (Warriors RFA)
Cam Thomas, G, (Nets RFA)
Quentin Grimes, G, (Sixers RFA)
Deandre Ayton, C (waivers)
Chris Paul, G
Russell Westbrook, G
Al Horford, C
Malcolm Brogdon, G
Moritz Wagner, F/C
Chris Boucher, F/C
De’Anthony Melton, G
Amir Coffey, G/F
Precious Achiuwa, F/C
Ryan Rollins, G

While four of our top 10 free agents are still on the board, all four are restricted, which means it may take some time for their situations to play out. Sign-and-trades are always a possibility, but few clubs are in position to make an aggressive play for any of these restricted free agents, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN pointed out during a TV appearance on Tuesday evening (Twitter video link).

“If this isn’t the worst market for restricted free agents in the last generation, I don’t want to see it,” Windhorst said. “There’s just no money out there for cap space, and sign-and-trades are very tough to pull off…with restricted free agents, because the team that has the rights isn’t motivated to play ball.”

There have essentially been no rumors linking Giddey, Thomas, or Grimes to any rival suitors since free agency began, so there’s still a widespread expectation that those three players will ultimately end up returning to their current teams.

That may happen with Kuminga too, but there has certainly been more chatter about alternative landing spots for the Warriors forward. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) checked in on Kuminga’s market late on Tuesday night, suggesting that the Heat, Bulls, Pelicans, and Kings are still being monitored as teams to watch for the 22-year-old, despite an apparent absence of traction on any of those fronts so far.

According to Fischer, Miami has also been linked to potential forward trade targets like DeMar DeRozan and John Collins; Chicago still has Giddey’s own restricted free agency to resolve, and Golden State appears to have “moved away” from past trade interest in Nikola Vucevic; New Orleans doesn’t have an obvious path to make a realistic offer for Kuminga; and while Sacramento would have interest in sending out Malik Monk as part of a sign-and-trade, no momentum has developed there.

With those top four RFAs in limbo for the time being, Ayton – who will clear waivers at 4:00 pm Central time on Wednesday – may be the most intriguing option on the board. According to Fischer, a number of front offices around the NBA expect the former No. 1 overall pick to end up with the Lakers, but the Pacers have also shown interest, as did the Bucks before they agreed to a surprising deal with Myles Turner. Indiana, notably, is the team that signed Ayton to a maximum-salary offer sheet in free agency three years ago, and the same decision-makers are still running that front office.

Paul and Westbrook are two of the most accomplished NBA point guards of the last two decades. Paul is known to want to play close to his home in Los Angeles, so while the Bucks are among the teams that have expressed interest in him, per Chris Haynes on NBA TV (Twitter video link), a team like the Clippers or Suns may be a more realistic landing spot. Haynes adds that he thought Westbrook would land with the Kings, but as long as Monk remains on Sacramento’s roster, that looks like a long shot.

It’s worth noting there’s one big name who was not on our pre-free-agency top 50 because he has only become available since then: Damian Lillard.

The Bucks haven’t officially waived Lillard yet, but he’s expected to reach the open market in the near future, and according to Eric Nehm, Sam Amick, and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, many teams – including the Lakers, Celtics, and Warriors – have reached out and registered interest in signing him even while he recovers from his Achilles tear.

Still, Jamal Collier of ESPN hears that there’s no guarantee that Lillard will sign anywhere for the 2025/26 season, which he’ll likely miss most or all of. He’s reportedly expected to remain based in Portland while doing his rehab work.

Among the other names in the back half of our top 50, Horford is the most intriguing. He has been linked to several teams, including – most consistently – Golden State. The Warriors are still a leading contender to land the veteran big man, per Fischer.

Finally, we should mention Malik Beasley, who ranked 15th on our initial top-50 list before word broke that he was under investigation for gambling allegations. Beasley was reportedly discussing a three-year, $42MM deal with Detroit prior to that news, but it’s hard to imagine any team signing him until that legal situation is resolved, which is why we took him off our list entirely. Since that investigation was reported, a pair of follow-up reports have detailed Beasley’s financial issues, though it’s crucial to note that he doesn’t currently face any charges.

All of the free agent deals agreed upon so far can be found within our 2025 free agent tracker. The full list of free agents still available can be found right here (or here, if you prefer to sort by team rather than by position/type).

Clippers Waive Drew Eubanks, Who Will Sign With Kings

July 1st, 2025 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers are waiving big man Drew Eubanks, whose $4.75MM salary for the coming season is non-guaranteed, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Eubanks has been officially placed on waivers, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

According to Charania, Eubanks intends to sign a one-year contract with the Kings once he clears waivers.

Eubanks, 28, opened the 2024/25 season with the Jazz and appeared in 37 games for the club, averaging 5.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 15.4 minutes per contest.

His playing time dropped off after being sent to the Clippers in a deadline deal — the 6’10” center averaged just 2.7 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 7.4 MPG across 24 appearances in Los Angeles and only saw garbage-time action in the playoffs for the Clippers.

Based on his nearly nonexistent role in L.A., Eubanks was always expected to be waived this offseason rather than seeing his $4.75MM salary become guaranteed.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Clippers now have a pair of roster spots open and are projected to operate about $5MM below the tax line and $12.5MM below the first tax apron. If they fill out their roster with a pair of minimum-salary players, they’ll remain out of tax territory, notes cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).

As for the Kings, they’ll add some frontcourt depth after having agreed to trade backup center Jonas Valanciunas to Denver. I’d expect Eubanks’ new deal to be worth his minimum salary. A one-year, minimum deal would pay him about $3.08MM while carrying a $2.3MM cap hit for Sacramento.

FA Rumors: Rollins, Kings, Westbrook, Robinson, Pistons, Lakers, Horford

July 1st, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are rescinding their qualifying offer to free agent guard Ryan Rollins, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Rollins opened the new league year as a restricted free agent, but this decision will make him unrestricted.

The move is probably more about maximizing the Bucks’ cap room than an indication the team no longer has no interest in retaining Rollins. Milwaukee is making a series of moves in order to open up the space necessary to sign Myles Turner to a four-year, $107MM contract.

Still, it means that the Bucks will no longer have the right of first refusal on Rollins, so he could sign outright with a new team without Milwaukee having a chance to match.

Rollins had a bit of a breakout season in 2024/25, registering averages of 6.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, along with a shooting line of .487/.408/.800. He had only made 25 appearances across two NBA seasons prior to ’24/25.

We have several more items of interest relating to free agency:

After reportedly discussing a deal with the Pistons, the Kings won’t be sending out Malik Monk as part of their Dennis Schröder addition, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter links). Schröder could still be acquired via sign-and-trade, since Sacramento has a trade exception large enough to accommodate his three-year, $45MM deal, but it sounds like he may end up just going into the team’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
With Monk staying in Sacramento, the Kings are less likely to sign free agent point guard Russell Westbrook, Stein adds (via Twitter).
After opting out of his contract on Sunday, free agent forward Duncan Robinson appears unlikely to return to the Heat, multiple league sources tell Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami is exploring sign-and-trade opportunities and the Pistons are among the interested teams, an Eastern Conference source tells the authors. Robinson is the franchise leader for most made three-pointers, but his playing time declined this season and the Heat may consider it too costly to bring him back. A contract agreement with Davion Mitchell gives Miami $173.8MM committed to 14 players for next season, about $14MM away from the luxury tax. Chiang and Jackson suggest the team might re-sign free agent Alec Burks to fill Robinson’s role as a three-point specialist.
Signing Deandre Ayton once he clears waivers remains a possibility, but the Lakers are also exploring other options in free agency and trades, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Al Horford is getting “serious consideration” from both the Lakers and Warriors.

Arthur Hill contributed to this story.

Free Agent Rumors: Ayton, Westbrook, Horford, Heat, Beasley

July 1st, 2025 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Exploring the Trail Blazers‘ decision to buy out Deandre Ayton so early in the offseason, Jason Quick of The Athletic cites sources who say that Ayton’s attitude was a factor in Portland’s willingness to move on.

As Quick details, the former No. 1 overall pick was reportedly late to team flights and practices, skipped injury rehab appointments, and threw “tantrums” in the locker room when he was benched for poor effort. He also had little self-awareness about his role, says Quick, having envisioned himself as the team’s “cornerstone” when he joined the Blazers ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Teams with interest in the veteran center will have to weigh whether or not Ayton’s baggage is worth his talent after Phoenix and Portland both eventually determined it wasn’t, Quick writes.

Here are a few more free agency notes and rumors from around the NBA:

Although they’ve reached a deal to sign Dennis Schröder to their backcourt, the Kings still have interest in signing free agent point guard Russell Westbrook too, league sources tell NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Stein also notes (via Twitter) that Al Horford continues to be a top target for the Warriors, as reported on Monday. One source who spoke to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe suggested Golden State is the frontrunner for Horford, though several other teams remain in the mix. The Warriors are in the market for frontcourt help following the departure of Kevon Looney to New Orleans.
While Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga would “love” for the Heat to pursue him, they haven’t done so to this point, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Miami also hasn’t been seeking a trade for Kings forward DeMar DeRozan, Jackson adds.
Malik Beasley‘s offseason has been a nightmare so far. In addition to being the subject of an investigation related to gambling allegations, the free agent wing is facing a lawsuit from his former marketing agency, Hazan Sports Management Group, which is seeking $2.25MM in damages and legal fees for breach of contract. David Purdum of ESPN, who has the full details on the suit, says Hazan Sports alleges Beasley was dealing with “financial issues” when it took him on as a client in 2023.

Kings Trading Valanciunas To Nuggets For Saric

July 1st, 2025 at 11:02am CST by Rory Maher

The Kings have agreed to trade center Jonas Valanciunas to the Nuggets in exchange for forward/center Dario Saric, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Valanciunas will earn about $10.4MM in 2025/26, with a non-guaranteed $10MM salary for ’26/27. Saric is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him approximately $5.4MM next season.

The Nuggets are able to take on Valanciunas’ higher salary due to the newfound roster-building flexibility they created as a result of the agreed upon trade that will send Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to Brooklyn for Cameron Johnson.

Valanciunas spent his first six-plus NBA seasons with Toronto, the team that selected him No. 5 overall in the 2011 draft. He also played for Memphis and New Orleans prior to becoming a free agent last year.

The 33-year-old landed with the Wizards via sign-and-trade last summer, then was traded to Sacramento in February. The durable big man made 81 combined appearances last season, averaging 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 18.8 minutes per contest.

While he’s a very limited defensive player, Valanciunas is a bruising low-post scorer and rebounder with a soft touch and should be a productive backup for three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

As for the Kings, they were likely motivated to make the deal for financial reasons. As Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron tweets, Sacramento will save about $5MM in the trade, which will give the team the flexibility to complete its reported deal with veteran guard Dennis Schröder without going into the tax.

Saric signed a two-year, $10.6MM deal with Denver last summer, but it didn’t work out the way either party had hoped. The 31-year-old only played in 16 games last season, averaging 3.5 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 13.1 MPG.

Free Agency Rumors: Monk, Pistons, Westbrook, Yabusele, Clippers

June 30th, 2025 at 10:24pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Pistons may be pursuing a trade for Kings guard Malik Monk, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (via Twitter). Dennis Schröder is expected to sign with Sacramento and could get there via a sign-and-trade deal that sends Monk to Detroit.

With Schröder expected to join the Kings and Malik Beasley‘s NBA future up in the air due to a gambling-related investigation, the Pistons have been scouring the trade and free agency markets for ball-handling, scoring, and shooting. The club already agreed to sign Caris LeVert and also has interest in free agent sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, as Fischer confirms (Twitter link).

Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal reports (via Twitter) that the Kings have been shopping Monk in the hopes of finding point guard help, and previously made an offer to the Hawks for Kobe Bufkin and Georges Niang, which Atlanta declined.

We have more free agent rumors from around the league:

The Knicks are unlikely to pursue Russell Westbrook with one of their remaining guard spots, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (via Twitter). It had previously been reported that there was mutual interest between the two sides, but with Jordan Clarkson set to sign with New York after clearing waivers, the pathway to playing time for Westbrook would be limited.
Sixers big man Guerschon Yabusele appears increasingly unlikely to remain in Philadelphia, reports Tony Jones of the Athletic (via Twitter). The skilled French forward had a strong season in his return to the NBA after six years in the EuroLeague. He is expected to be pursued by the Spurs, per Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link), while Jones adds (via Twitter) that the Nuggets are another team to keep an eye on.
Jones also reports (via Twitter) that the Sixers have been trying to trade center Andre Drummond and his $5MM expiring salary, though it’s unclear whether that would change the team’s outlook for Yabusele.
Neither Amir Coffey nor Ben Simmons seems likely to return to the Clippers, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, who suggests they could probably get better offers elsewhere. Simmons is seeking a deal worth more than the veteran’s minimum, Murray notes.

Free Agent Rumors: Kings, Schröder, Horford, More

June 30th, 2025 at 8:52pm CST by Eli Cohen

Finding a point guard was a top priority for the Kings when free agency opened on Monday. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), the team arranged meetings via Zoom with both Dennis Schröder and Russell Westbrook.

Sacramento was also planning to meet with Malcolm Brogdon, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), who notes that the Wizards would be willing to accommodate a sign-and-trade deal involving Brogdon.

The Kings may end up adding more than one point guard, with Schröder looking like a lock to be one of them. Reports leading up to free agency indicated the two sides would likely agree to a two-year deal worth the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, and Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link) has since reported that Schröder will reach an agreement to sign with Sacramento.

Here are a few more free agent rumors from around the NBA:

Al Horford is commanding a lot of attention, reports HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (via Twitter). Scotto says that the Warriors, Knicks, Nuggets, Lakers, and Cavaliers have all expressed interest in luring Horford away from the Celtics since free agency opened, but Boston is also interested in retaining him, especially after losing Luke Kornet earlier in the day to the Spurs.
After agreeing to sign Tyus Jones to be the team’s backup point guard, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press hears that reserve big man Moritz Wagner is expected to return to the Magic (Twitter link). Orlando declined its team option on Wagner over the weekend, but retained his Bird rights. Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel echoes Reynolds’ report (via Twitter), saying that expects Wagner to re-sign with the Magic.
The Warriors feel good about their chances of re-signing restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears (Twitter video link). Spears says the money Kuminga and his representatives are looking for does not seem to be on the market this summer, which could result in him remaining in Golden State.