Kings Rumors

Checking In On Open NBA Roster Spots

There has been no shortage of free agent signings across the NBA since the trade deadline, but several clubs still have at least one open roster spot as we near the home stretch of the season.

Using our roster counts tracker, let’s check in on which teams have openings and which are most likely to fill them in the short term.


Teams with multiple open spots on their standard 15-man rosters:

  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Sacramento Kings

The Pelicans and Kings are both currently carrying 13 players on standard contracts, which teams are permitted to do for up to 14 days at a time or 28 days in total during a season.

New Orleans dipped down to 13 players last Thursday by buying out Javonte Green, which means the club will have until next Thursday (March 6) to get back to 14 players. Two-way player Brandon Boston is considered a strong candidate for a promotion, though he’s still eight games away from his 50-game limit because he has been out since February 8 with a sprained ankle.

Sacramento, meanwhile, dropped to 13 players when Daishen Nix‘s 10-day contract expired last Monday night. The Kings need to re-add a 14th man by next Tuesday (March 4) in order to adhere to the NBA’s roster rules.

Teams with one open spot on their standard 15-man rosters:

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Golden State Warriors
    • Note: Two of the Warriors’ 14 players are on 10-day contracts.
  • Indiana Pacers
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New York Knicks

The Celtics, Bucks, Timberwolves, and Knicks are all deep into luxury tax territory and may not be in any rush to add a 15th man, since that player would cost exponentially more once tax penalties are taken into account. New York is currently restricted by a hard cap but could sign a player as soon as February 28.

The Hawks and Pacers have enough breathing room below the tax not to worry about surpassing that line, so they may look to add someone sooner rather than later, perhaps on a 10-day contract.

The Warriors, meanwhile, will dip back to 12 players once the 10-day contracts for Kevin Knox and Yuri Collins expire this Friday night. Golden State has some hard-cap issues to navigate for the rest of the season and might not want to get back to 14 players right away.

Teams with full standard 15-man rosters that include one 10-day contract:

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Memphis Grizzlies
  • San Antonio Spurs
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Utah Jazz
  • Washington Wizards

These teams each have 14 players on standard contracts and one on a 10-day deal. With one exception, they’re all below the tax line and could continue cycling through 10-day signings or add a player on a rest-of-season contract when their current 10-day deals expire.

The one exception is Dallas. The Mavericks are right up against their hard cap, so once Moses Brown‘s 10-day contract ends, they won’t be able to bring in a new 15th man (or bring Brown back) until April 10.

Teams with an open two-way slot:

  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Golden State Warriors

The Warriors will reportedly fill their open two-way slot with Australian guard Taran Armstrong, so the Nets are really the only team with a two-way spot available, having promoted Tyrese Martin to a standard contract last Thursday.

It’s a pretty safe bet Brooklyn will fill that opening at some point before March 4, which is the deadline for two-way signings. You can also count on several other teams promoting, waiving, and signing two-way players before that deadline.

And-Ones: D. Williams, Cousins, Front Offices, Kuzminskas, More

Former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams has signed with the Mets de Guaynabo ahead of the 2025 season, the Puerto Rican team announced this week (via Instagram; hat tip to Sportando).

Williams, who was selected right after Kyrie Irving in the 2011 draft, appeared in 428 NBA games across seven seasons from 2011-18 before spending several years in Europe. The veteran forward, who will turn 34 this May, last suited up for Panathinaikos in Greece during the 2022/23 season.

The Mets de Guaynabo also made another notable roster announcement this week, indicating (via Instagram) that they’ve reacquired the rights to four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who last played for the team in 2023.

According to Joseph Reboyras of Primera Hora (Twitter link), former NBA guard J.J. Barea, who is currently the Mets’ head coach, said a few days ago that Cousins’ return isn’t yet a lock. However, the former NBA center, who is now 34, has shown interest in returning to Puerto Rico for the coming season and was scheduled to meet with Barea this week to discuss the possibility.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • In a massive feature article, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports ranks all 30 NBA front offices, from the Thunder at No. 1 to the Bulls at No. 30. Quinn divided teams into 11 separate tiers, with the Celtics (No. 2) and Spurs (No. 3) joining Oklahoma City in the top group, while the Mavericks (No. 27), Suns (No. 28), and the Kings (No. 29) rounded out the bottom tier..
  • Former NBA forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who appeared in 69 games for New York from 2016-18, has announced his retirement from the Lithuanian national team and won’t compete in EuroBasket 2025 this offseason, as Eurohoops relays. “I feel that now is the right moment to say thank you and step aside,” Kuzminskas said as part of a larger statement.
  • Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) takes a look at 15 of the NCAA freshman who have emerged as top prospects for the 2025 NBA draft and poses one key questions for each player, including how high Cooper Flagg‘s offensive ceiling is, whether Kasparas Jakucionis‘ modest athleticism will limit him, and whether Tre Johnson can improve his shot selection.

Kings’ Christie Meets With Starters After ‘Unacceptable’ Loss

The Kings‘ post-All-Star push for a playoff spot got off to a rocky start on Friday, as they lost at home by 24 points to a Golden State team that entered the day tied with Sacramento in the Western Conference standings.

Within his recap of the game, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee noted that Doug Christie took over an hour to come out for his post-game media session, writing that the Kings’ interim head coach had “delivered an impassioned message to his team” during that time. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter video link), Christie met with Sacramento’s starters – Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, and Keegan Murray – during that time.

“First and foremost, in that meeting, I was told that Christie reiterated how he’s in the fight with them,” Haynes said. “But there were some issues he wanted to address, such as making sure that everyone understood the gravity of the situation right now. He addressed ball security. He talked about how they’ve been compromising on defense. He wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. He spoke on learning how to communicate with each other, and he challenged his players to challenge each other in a positive way to yield some positive results.”

Speaking to reporters after Friday’s loss, Christie didn’t specifically mention meeting with the starters, but he referred to his team’s effort vs. Golden State as “totally unacceptable.” According to Monk, the Kings’ coach made it clear that “we can’t get punked like that at home” again.

“I get down in a certain way and I expect you guys to represent that,” Christie said of his message to the team, per Anderson. “I know what these fans appreciate and what they want, and I know what our organization wants, and that ain’t it. That ain’t ever going to be it.”

The Kings are still adjusting after making some major roster changes at the trade deadline. De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Colby Jones, Alex Len, and Jordan McLaughlin were all dealt during the first week of February, with LaVine, Jonas Valanciunas, and Jake LaRavia added via trade, while Markelle Fultz later signed as a free agent. As Anderson writes, the new-look roster showed some growing pains on Friday by turning the ball over a season-high 24 times and being outscored 38-5 in points off turnovers.

“Twenty-four (turnovers) for 38 points won’t win you a game, I don’t think, anywhere in the world,” Christie said. “… We can keep saying we have a lot of new guys and we’re trying to find our way, but that excuse, no one checks for you in this league like that. People will just run through you and beat the hell out of you, so it doesn’t matter what the excuse is.

“Take care of the basketball, play together, move the rock, and if we do that at a high level, we give ourselves the opportunity to win. We’re not even giving ourselves the opportunity with 24 turnovers for 38 points. It’s just not acceptable. It will never be acceptable. I said that to them man for man.”

The Kings are still in a play-in position in the West — at 28-28, they hold the No. 10 seed in the conference, with a 1.5-game lead over the No. 11 Suns. But after winning one play-in game last season and losing the second, they know how challenging it is to earn a playoff berth from that position and would like to move up in the standings before the end of the season. They have the fifth-hardest remaining schedule, per Tankathon.

“The bottom line is we have to come out and play with a sense of urgency, aggressiveness and physicality,” Christie said. “We have to want to win more than we want to breathe.”

And-Ones: 2025 FAs, College Jobs, MCW, WNBA, More

A series of contract extensions have depleted the star-level talent in the NBA’s 2025 free agent class, but there will still be some notable names to watch this summer, as Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report and ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) detail.

Both Pincus and Marks have longtime NBA stars LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden atop their lists of 2025 free agents, with Marks positing that no player will have more leverage this offseason than Irving, given how badly the Mavericks need to retain the veteran point guard following the trade of Luka Doncic.

After James, Irving, and Harden, who have combined for 41 career All-Star appearances, the next tier of free agents consists of players like Myles Turner, Fred VanVleet, Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, and Timberwolves power forwards Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Interestingly, Pincus has Reid ranked ahead of the three-time All-Star he backs up, placing Reid at No. 5 and Randle at No. 7 in his early FA rankings.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • As is typical at this time of year, a number of NBA coaches and executives are receiving interest for jobs at the college basketball level, notes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). Fischer mentions Hornets executive Buzz Peterson and veteran player agent Jim Tanner as possible candidates for UNC’s general manager job and says Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Suns assistant David Fizdale, and Bucks assistant Dave Joerger are among the names to watch for the University of Miami’s head coaching position. Fischer adds that Kings assistant Luke Loucks has been linked to Florida State’s head coaching opening.
  • Former NBA Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams is involved in a bid to bring an WNBA expansion franchise to Boston, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. With expansion teams lined up for San Francisco, Portland, Toronto, and Cleveland, the WNBA will have 16 clubs by 2028, so it’s unclear whether or not the league will be looking to expand beyond that number right away.
  • Passing along the results of a player poll from All-Star weekend, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes that the 14 respondents were unanimously against the idea of 10-minute quarters floated last month by commissioner Adam Silver. However, 12 of those 14 players liked the new All-Star tournament format.
  • The Lakers‘ and Pistons‘ G League affiliates completed a trade on Wednesday, with the South Bay Lakers acquiring forward Cole Swider from the Motor City Cruise in exchange for Chris Silva‘s returning rights and a 2025 first-round pick, per a press release. Silva is currently playing overseas, but Swider has been active in the G League and will begin suiting up for South Bay.

Pacific Notes: Simmons, Bamba, Lakers, Tucker, Suns, Fultz

As we detailed on Friday, Ben Simmons‘ debut with the Clippers on Thursday went about as well as it reasonably could have, earning him praise from head coach Tyronn Lue.

Lue wasn’t the only one impressed by the former No. 1 overall pick, who registered 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals in his first game for his new team. Simmons’ Clippers teammates spoke after the game about the immediate impact he made on the court, per Law Murray of The Athletic.

“It’s easy to play basketball with smart players,” forward Nicolas Batum said. “That’s why he was the No. 1 pick, that’s why he was an All-Star in the NBA, because he’s a unique player, a very good basketball player. He just needs the right system, the right person to get his confidence back. And I’ve been there. I’ve been in his shoes five years ago. I think he came to the right spot to get it.”

While Batum was never an All-Star like Simmons, his stock was at an all-time low when he joined the Clippers in 2020 due to the perception that he was overpaid on his previous contract, a five-year, $120MM deal with Charlotte. Batum has rebuilt his value in recent years, primarily due to his strong play with the Clippers, and there’s optimism that Simmons can do the same.

“He did everything we asked him to do: Rebound, defend, push the ball in transition, create for others, attack the rim,” center Ivica Zubac said after Thursday’s win over Utah. “When they doubled James (Harden), he was really good flashing in the middle and play-making from there. It was great, man. It was all that we expected and more. I think he played great, and I think he’s going to be huge for us.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • If Alex Len had gone through with his initial plan to join the Pacers rather than pivoting to the Lakers, free agent big man Mohamed Bamba likely would’ve been a top target for Los Angeles, Jake Fischer said on a Bleacher Report live stream on Thursday (YouTube link). “I heard this from multiple sources,” Fischer said. “That if Alex Len did go forward and sign with the Pacers, Mo Bamba would have been very prominently considered by the Lakers to fill a spot in that depleted center rotation.” Bamba remains available in free agency for now.
  • During that same Bleacher Report live stream, Fischer suggested that the Suns are one team to watch for P.J. Tucker if the veteran forward is bought out by the Raptors, which is expected to happen. Tucker has played in Phoenix before, was coached by Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee, and is a Texas alum like Suns star Kevin Durant. Still, Fischer is skeptical that the 39-year-old Tucker will draw significant interest on the buyout market or play a major role for a playoff team this spring.
  • Injuries have limited Markelle Fultz‘s availability and slowed his development since he entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick in 2017, but the Kingsnewest addition said this week that his health isn’t a concern right now, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “This is the best I’ve ever felt since being in the league,” Fultz told Anderson. “I never had the opportunity to take my time and get healthy, so being able to do that last summer has been great for me. I’m super excited for this opportunity and I’m thankful for it.”

Kings Sign Markelle Fultz For Rest Of Season

10:48 pm: Sacramento has officially announced the deal in a press statement.


9:52 pm: Free agent guard Markelle Fultz is signing a new contract with the Kings, agent Raymond Brothers of I AM Sports & Entertainment has informed Shams Charania of ESPN.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (via Twitter) that the deal will keep Fultz in town through the rest of the season. Exact terms have yet to be divulged.

No corresponding roster move will be necessary, since the Kings have a pair of open roster spots after sending out more players than they took back in a series of trade-deadline deals.

After trading away De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin to the Spurs as part of a blockbuster three-team deal last week, Sacramento was left with a deficit of point guards. Adding Fultz will allow the club to begin replenishing its depth at that spot. The Kings’ eventual haul was headlined by two-time All-Star wing Zach LaVine and multiple future picks.

Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that the Timberwolves were also considering adding Fultz this spring. After he reached unrestricted free agency during the 2024 offseason, the 6’4″ vet had been left wanting throughout the 2024/25 season — until now.

Fultz was selected with the No. 1 overall pick out of Washington in 2017. Boston traded down with Philadelphia, swapping the rights to Fultz for the rights to eventual six-time All-Star champion forward Jayson Tatum, the third pick in that draft out of Duke.

As Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL observes (Twitter link), the 26-year-old has struggled with a variety of maladies throughout his pro career, including a torn left ACL in 2021 and further problems in the same knee last season.

Fultz has only played more than 43 games twice across a seven-year career. Last season with Orlando, he appeared in just 43 contests, starting 18. Across 21.2 minutes for the playoff-bound Magic, he averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per night.

At 28-26, Sacramento is currently the eighth seed in a crowded Western Conference. The addition of Fultz should add a play-making presence and some defensive help at the point of attack.

Fultz himself reacted to Charania’s announcement, tweeting “God’s Plan.”

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

A number of free agent signings have been finalized in the days since last Thursday’s trade deadline, but there are still many teams around the NBA with one or more open spots on their respective rosters.

For clubs with just a single standard or two-way opening, there’s not necessarily any urgency to fill those spots, especially ahead of the All-Star break. But the clock is ticking for teams who have two or more openings on their standard rosters to make a move, since clubs are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.

With the help of our roster count tracker, here’s where things stand for all 30 teams around the NBA as of Monday morning. As a reminder, teams are typically permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

(Note: Teams marked with an asterisk have a player on a 10-day contract.)


Teams with multiple open roster spots

  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Philadelphia 76ers *
  • Sacramento Kings *

The Cavaliers dipped to 13 players on standard contracts as a result of Thursday’s De’Andre Hunter trade, so their situation is fairly straightforward — they’ll have to re-add a 14th man by February 20.

The Warriors‘ four-for-one Jimmy Butler trade dropped them to just 11 players. They quickly got back to 12 by promoting Quinten Post from his two-way contract to a standard roster spot and now have three openings on their standard roster, along with one open two-way slot.

Golden State doesn’t have to fill all those openings, but the team does have to get back to at least 14 players on standard contracts by Feb. 20. Assuming Post got a prorated rookie minimum salary on his new deal, the Warriors – by my count – have $1,372,306 in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap.

If the Warriors were to sign a pair of veterans to rest-of-season minimum deals on Feb. 20, they would each count for $635,853 against the cap, leaving the team with $100,600 in breathing room below the hard cap. It’s possible Golden State will go that route. It’s also possible the club will sign a couple players to 10-day contracts, then go another 14 days in March with just 12 players under contract in order to create a bit of extra wiggle room below that hard cap. That would allow the Warriors to sign a 15th man a little earlier in the second half.

The Sixers briefly dropped to 12 players on standard contracts at the trade deadline, but they’re back to 14 now, having promoted Justin Edwards to a standard contract and given Chuma Okeke a 10-day deal. They’re expected to sign David Roddy to a 10-day contract too, which will give them a full standard roster.

For now then, no roster moves are necessary in Philadelphia, but the team does have a two-way slot open and could drop back to 13 players on standard deals after Okeke’s and Roddy’s 10-day contracts expire, which would necessitate a least one addition within 14 days.

The Kings are currently carrying 12 players on full-season standard contracts, with Daishen Nix on a 10-day deal. They’ll have to get back to 14 players by Feb. 20.

Teams with one open roster spot

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Brooklyn Nets
  • Charlotte Hornets *
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Indiana Pacers
  • Los Angeles Clippers
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • New York Knicks
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Utah Jazz

The Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Raptors, and Jazz are all carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts and three on two-way deals, with no reported signings pending. They’re each free to carry that open roster spot for as long as they want to, though some figure to fill it sooner rather than later.

Two teams that can’t fill their openings sooner rather than later are Dallas and New York. The Knicks are just $540,126 below their second-apron hard cap, while the Mavericks have a mere $171,120 to operate below their first-apron hard cap. Based on my math, New York would be able to sign a veteran free agent as a 15th man as of February 28 (that date moved up a day as a result of the Knicks trimming $4,825 from their cap in the Delon Wright/Jericho Sims swap), while Dallas will have to wait until March 31.

The Hornets are in this group because they have a two-way slot open, but their standard roster is full for now. In fact, it’s more than full — as a result of having been granted a hardship exception, they’re temporarily carrying 16 players instead of the usual maximum of 15. Elfrid Payton, on a 10-day deal, is the 16th man.

The Pacers and Clippers, meanwhile, each technically have an open roster spot for now, but they reportedly have deals in place with prospective 15th men. Indiana will sign center Alex Len once he clears waivers, while L.A. will add three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Both players are on track to clear waivers on Monday.

Teams with no open roster spots

  • Chicago Bulls
  • Denver Nuggets
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Houston Rockets
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Memphis Grizzlies
  • Miami Heat
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Orlando Magic
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Portland Trail Blazers
  • San Antonio Spurs *
  • Washington Wizards *

The Bulls, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Thunder, Magic, Suns, and Trail Blazers are all carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. If they want to make a free agent addition during the season’s final two months, they’ll have to cut a player to do so.

That won’t necessarily be the case for the Spurs and Wizards though. Both clubs have just 14 players on full-season standard contracts, with one on a 10-day deal — Bismack Biyombo for San Antonio and Jaylen Nowell for Washington. Once those contracts expire, the Spurs and Wizards could open up a roster spot if they opt not to retain Biyombo and Nowell, respectively.

Pacific Notes: Doncic, James, Knecht, Kings, Valanciunas, Bogdanovic

Luka Doncic could make his Lakers debut on Monday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. He’s listed as questionable due to the left calf strain that has sidelined him since Christmas Day. LeBron James (left ankle soreness) is also listed as questionable.

The same tag was given to Dalton Knecht (personal), who returned to the Lakers after their trade with Charlotte was rescinded. Cam Reddish, who was also in the voided trade, is listed as out.

In anticipation that Doncic will play, ESPN will broadcast the game against the Jazz, according to ESPN PR (Twitter link).

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Kings added high-scoring wing Zach LaVine, center Jonas Valanciunas and young forward Jake LaRavia prior to the trade deadline. Interim coach Doug Christie is looking forward to figuring out his new rotation, he told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “It’s a good problem to have,” Christie said. “I’m not complaining at all. Is it difficult? Yeah, a little bit because you’re trying to learn on the fly and that can be tough with guys trying to rind their rhythm — when do I go, plays, defense, coverages, all that stuff — but we’re not going to make excuses. The organization has done a hell of a job of getting us talent, and now it’s my job to figure out how to make it work and get us wins.”
  • Valanciunas, who is in the first year of a three-year, $30.3MM contract, is glad to join a playoff race with the Kings after spending the first half of the season with the Wizards. “It feels good,” Valanciunas told Anderson. “It feels like I belong here. I’m excited to be here, excited to jump on the court in a winning situation and do some damage.”
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic, acquired by the Clippers from Atlanta, is expected to make his Los Angeles debut on Wednesday, Joe Reedy of The Associated Press reports. He gives the Clippers another offensive option. “I’m good. I know probably a lot of you have been seeing a lot of stuff earlier before I got traded, some personal reasons out, but that’s part of the trade deadline,” Bogdanovic said. ”I’m ready. I’m in good shape and I’ll be ready for the next game.” The Clippers traded Terance Mann and Bones Hyland for Bogdanovic and three second-round draft picks. Bogdanovic’s contract includes a $16MM guaranteed salary for next season, followed by a 2026/27 club option.

Kings Sign Daishen Nix To 10-Day Contract

8:25 pm: The Kings have officially signed Nix to a 10-day contract, the team confirmed in a press release.


3:08 pm: The Kings and guard Daishen Nix have reached an agreement on a 10-day deal, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Nix, who began his NBA career with Houston as an undrafted rookie in 2021, has appeared in a total of 99 NBA regular season games for the Rockets and Timberwolves since then, averaging 3.3 points and 1.8 assists in 12.5 minutes per night.

The 6’4″ guard was on a two-way deal with Minnesota earlier this season, but was waived about a month ago before his two-way salary became guaranteed.

Nix has spent the majority of this season in the G League, appearing in 10 games for the Iowa Wolves and seven games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers since being cut by Minnesota. He has filled up the box score in those 17 outings, averaging 18.5 points, 7.2 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game, but has had trouble with turnovers (3.9 per game) and shooting efficiency (.364/.298/.732).

Sacramento sacrificed some backcourt depth in its pre-deadline deals, sending out De’Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin, and Colby Jones and only getting one guard – Zach LaVine – in return. With three open spots on their 15-man roster, the Kings have plenty of flexibility to bring in a player like Nix for insurance purposes ahead of the All-Star break.

The Kings play four games before the All-Star break, beginning on Saturday vs. New Orleans, so if Nix officially signs within the next few hours, he could be active for all four. He’ll earn $124,288 on his 10-day deal.