Kings Notes: Westbrook, Sabonis, Carter, Murray
The Kings signaled throughout the offseason that they wanted to create an opening in their backcourt before signing a veteran point guard, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
However, as Fischer details, Sacramento’s front office was seemingly underwhelmed with the team’s point guard depth during training camp and preseason, and decided to sign Russell Westbrook without making another roster move. Westbrook’s minimum-salary contract is non-guaranteed.
According to Fischer, head coach Doug Christie is a fan of Westbrook’s toughness and all-out playing style. The nine-time All-Star was also praised by new GM Scott Perry when the signing was announced on Thursday.
The Kings will formally introduce Westbrook as a member of the team at a press conference on Sunday, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Here are a few more notes and rumors on the Kings:
- Star center Domantas Sabonis has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in one week, the team announced today (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). The injury means Sabonis will miss — at minimum — Sacramento’s first two regular season games. The Lithuanian big man suffered the hamstring injury on Wednesday.
- Despite being a lottery pick (No. 13 overall) a year ago, second-year guard Devin Carter seems likely to be moved at some point in the future, according to Fischer, who points out that the former Providence star was involved in trade rumors through the summer and was drafted by the previous front office regime. Carter, whose rookie season was delayed after he underwent shoulder surgery last summer, struggled in four preseason games this fall, averaging 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 15.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .375/.100/.500. The Kings picked up his third-year option a few days ago, locking in Carter’s $5.16MM salary for ’26/27.
- Several rival teams were surprised that Sacramento made such a lucrative long-term commitment to Keegan Murray, Fischer adds. The Kings formally signed Murray on Thursday to a five-year rookie scale extension that is reportedly worth $140MM. According to Fischer, many players — both free agents and extension candidates — have been struggling to land contracts north of $25MM per year; Murray’s new deal, which begins in 2026/27, will pay him $28MM annually. The 25-year-old forward will likely be out until at least mid-November after undergoing thumb surgery earlier this week.
Kings Waive Terence Davis
The Kings have waived guard Terence Davis, tweets Sean Cunningham of KCRA News in Sacramento. The transaction reduces the Kings’ standard roster to the maximum of 15 players.
Davis’ chances of making the opening-night roster were greatly reduced by this week’s addition of Russell Westbrook, who signed a non-guaranteed contract on Friday. Davis signed a non-guaranteed deal of his own with Sacramento last month, but only appeared in one preseason game.
It’s actually the second time Davis has been waived by Sacramento this offseason. Davis, who has appeared in 122 total games across four seasons for the Kings since being traded from Toronto to Sacramento in 2021, entered the summer on a non-guaranteed deal but was cut in early September.
Davis appeared in 64 games for the Kings in 2022/23 and averaged 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per contest, with a .423/.366/.791 shooting line. However, he hasn’t spent much time on an NBA roster since then.
Davis opened the ’23/24 campaign with the Rip City Remix in the G League, but suffered a torn Achilles in December that ended his season. The 6’4″ guard spent the majority of ’24/25 with the Wisconsin Herd in the NBAGL, averaging 14.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3.1 APG with a .415 3PT%, before he was called up to the Kings on the last day of the season.
He could wind up with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s affiliate, if he doesn’t receive another NBA opportunity.
Russell Westbrook Signs With Kings
October 17: Westbrook’s deal is non-guaranteed, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
October 16: Westbrook is officially a King, the team announced in a press release.
“Russell embodies the identity we’re striving for in Sacramento,” said Kings general manager Scott Perry. “His resume speaks for itself and I’m excited to work with someone so accomplished, who is fully committed to competing and winning. We expect him to strengthen our point guard position and provide leadership both on and off the court.”
October 15: Free agent point guard Russell Westbrook has agreed to sign with the Kings, agent Jeff Schwartz tells Shams Charania of ESPN.
Westbrook has been linked to Sacramento since the start of free agency. Earlier in the summer, there was a sense that the team would need to trade a guard in order to balance its roster and create an opening in the rotation for Westbrook, but Charania reported last week that there was still “strong mutual interest” between the former MVP and the Kings. Now the two sides are in agreement on a deal.
According to Charania, Westbrook has bonds with Kings veterans Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, as well as assistant general manager B.J. Armstrong, who used to be a player agent. And while the Kings are relatively deep in the backcourt, with Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, and Devin Carter on their bench, they lacked an experienced traditional point guard behind Dennis Schröder.
Westbrook, who will turn 37 next month, has transitioned into a complementary role in recent years after earning nine All-Star nods earlier in his career. Last season, he appeared in 75 games for Denver, making 36 starts and playing 27.9 minutes per night. He registered averages of 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game, with a shooting line of .449/.323/.661.
Although Westbrook earned praise from some Nuggets teammates and coaches for his motor and competitiveness, his playing style results in plenty of turnovers (3.2 per game last season) and he’s not a reliable outside shooter, which can create lineup and spacing issues.
Those were presumably among the reasons why he remained unsigned until three-and-a-half months into free agency after declining a $3.47M player option in June. However, new general manager Scott Perry views Westbrook as a good fit for the “high motor, high effort” culture he wants to establish in Sacramento, per Charania.
Westbrook will sign a one-year, minimum-salary contract, per James Ham of the Kings Beat (Twitter link). On that deal, he’ll earn a $3,634,153 salary in 2025/26 while the club carries a cap hit of $2,296,274. Ham is one of several reporters who have stated that the deal is expected to become official on Thursday.
There’s a spot for Westbrook on the Kings’ projected 15-man roster. The team is currently carrying 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Ellis and Terence Davis on non-guaranteed deals. Westbrook and Ellis are presumably on track to fill those last two openings, with Davis the odd man out.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Christie, Westbrook, Hayes, Collins
Within a story breaking down the Kings‘ decision to sign Russell Westbrook, Sam Amick of The Athletic says that “hordes” of opposing scouts have been attending Sacramento games during the preseason, since teams around the league anticipate that the Kings will be sellers at February’s trade deadline.
Westbrook is among several players on the Kings’ roster who will have something to prove this season, according to Amick, who notes that head coach Doug Christie falls into that category too.
As Amick details, citing league sources, the new contract that Christie signed in the spring when he was named the team’s permanent head coach is only guaranteed for two seasons, with a third-year team option. And his salary is only about $2MM annually in those first two years, followed by a significant increase if his option is exercised. In other words, Christie will have plenty of motivation to show during the next couple years that he deserves to keep his job.
We have more from around the Pacific Division:
- Malik Monk, who played with Westbrook in Los Angeles, is excited to have his former teammate join the Kings, as Sean Cunningham of KCRA News relays (Twitter video link). Referring to Westbrook as “probably one of the best teammates I had,” Monk added that he thinks Westbrook can hold his own as an undersized power forward and defend opposing fours, which would help the club while Keegan Murray (thumb surgery) is sidelined.
- After teaming up with Luka Doncic as members of the Lakers, center Jaxson Hayes wants to do so in international basketball competitions too. Hayes told reporters this week that he’s working on getting Slovenian citizenship in the hopes of representing the country in future competitions, per Eurohoops. A spokesperson for the Slovenian Basketball Federation confirmed that discussions are ongoing about adding a naturalized player at the center spot, but declined to offer specifics or confirm that Hayes is the player in question. “We are aiming to secure this player for a longer period to ensure the team’s stability in the coming years,” that spokesperson said.
- Speaking to Law Murray of The Athletic about the offseason deal that sent him from Utah to Los Angeles and his expectations for the coming season, John Collins said the Clippers were “one of the first teams” he thought of when his name began to pop up in trade rumors. His head coach and teammates also expressed excitement about the fit. “It’s great. We get a big player like John on the floor, alongside Kawhi (Leonard), teams have a nightmare as far as matching up,” Tyronn Lue said. “You want to put a smaller guy on John, or a smaller guy on Kawhi? … (Collins’) versatility on both sides of the basketball is a huge thing for us.”
Injury Notes: Embiid, George, Sabonis, Chomche, Ivey
Sixers star Joel Embiid may or may not be available for Friday’s preseason finale against Minnesota, but there’s a good chance he’ll suit up for Philadelphia’s regular season opener next week, Chris Haynes reported on NBA TV (Twitter video link).
According to Haynes, the 76ers plan to be “very cautious” with Embiid throughout the season. The veteran NBA insider added that he does not expect the 31-year-old center to play in back-to-backs in 2025/26.
While Sixers forward Paul George is expected to be sidelined for next Wednesday’s season opener vs. Boston, he has made “significant progress” in his recovery from offseason knee surgery and likely won’t miss many games beyond that, league sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN. George won’t return until he feels fully healthy, Charania added on NBA Today (Twitter video link).
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Kings center Domantas Sabonis suffered a right hamstring injury in Wednesday’s preseason loss. Haynes hears (via Twitter) the three-time All-Star has a “mild” strain and has been ruled out of Friday’s preseason finale vs. the Lakers. Despite the relatively positive update, Matt George of ABC 10 thinks the Lithuanian big man will likely miss some time to start the season (Twitter link).
- Second-year center Ulrich Chomche, who was on a two-way deal with Toronto prior to being waived by the Raptors on Thursday, has been referred to the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel, reports Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Chomche has been dealing with an unspecified health issue that prevented him from participating in training camp and preseason, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.
- Pistons guard Jaden Ivey underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery on Thursday after his 2024/25 campaign was cut short due to a broken left fibula. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said there was no single incident that led to the procedure, writes Vincent Goodwill of ESPN.com. “It was something that was developing over his work. Obviously, from coming back but in training camp also, he started to feel something,” Bickerstaff said before Detroit’s final preseason game against the Wizards. “We took precautions, and then the medical team did their assessments and those things, and then had to make the decision that ultimately led us to where we are today.” The Pistons plan to be cautious with Ivey’s recovery process, according to Bickerstaff.
Kings Sign, Waive DaQuan Jeffries
October 16: Jeffries has officially been signed and waived, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
October 15: The Kings intend to sign and waive free agent swingman DaQuan Jeffries, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), who says the plan is to have him join the Stockton Kings in the G League.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) first reported that Jeffries had agreed to a deal with Sacramento.
Jeffries has spent the past six seasons in the NBA and has appeared in 111 total regular season games, including 47 last season for Charlotte. Signed and traded from the Knicks to the Hornets in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster last October, the 28-year-old averaged 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game for the Hornets, with a .405/.335/.800 shooting line.
While Jeffries’ contract covered three seasons, only one year was guaranteed, so it came as no real surprise that the Hornets – dealing with a roster crunch – waived him last month, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Jeffries will be rejoining the organization he began his NBA career with — he spent his rookie season in 2019/20 on a two-way deal with the Kings, then was on a standard deal with the club for most of the ’20/21 campaign. Assuming he signs an Exhibit 10 contract, which is a safe bet, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his base G League salary as long as he spends at least 60 days with Stockton.
Kings Sign To Keegan Murray To Five-Year Extension
October 16: Murray’s extension with the Kings is now official, per the team (link to press release).
“Keegan is one of the most versatile players in the league,” Kings general manager Scott Perry said in a statement. “He’s shown that he can defend multiple positions and efficiently shoot the ball from the perimeter. Keegan is also a young man of high character who reflects the vision we’re shaping in Sacramento.”
October 15: The Kings have agreed to sign Keegan Murray to a five-year, $140MM rookie contract extension, reports Shams Charania for ESPN (via Twitter).
Murray, who turned 25 in August, was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Iowa. He holds career averages of 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on .451/.372/.812 shooting splits.
Murray experienced a breakout sophomore season in 2023/24, averaging 15.2 PPG and 5.5 RPG while recording a steal and nearly a block per game. However, he took a slight step back in his third year last season as Sacramento brought in more offensive firepower around him in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
Murray has shown the potential to be a high-level shooter and wing defender, and spoke recently about his excitement for Dennis Schröder to take on some of the tougher backcourt assignments, which would free him up to defend opposing teams’ best wings and forwards.
He also recently stated his two goals for the season: to hit at least 40% of his threes and to win the league’s Most Improved Player award.
Murray recently underwent surgery to address a torn thumb ligament and is expected to miss four to six weeks.
James Ham of The Kings Beat notes (via Twitter) that Murray is expected to officially sign his new contract in the next 24-to-48 hours, ahead of Monday’s rookie scale extension deadline. ESPN’s Anthony Slater adds (via Twitter) that there are no team or player options on the five-year deal, which will run through 2030/31.
Murray is the sixth player this offseason to agree to a rookie scale extension, joining Magic forward Paolo Banchero, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., Heat forward Nikola Jovic, and Thunder teammates Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. He’s now locked into the Kings’ long-term plans, with the longest-running contract on the team.
Injury Notes: Sabonis, George, Williams, Bailey, Vanderbilt
The Kings fell to 0-3 during the preseason on Wednesday with a loss to the Clippers. More concerning than the defeat was the fact that star center Domantas Sabonis exited the game midway through the third quarter and was ultimately ruled out for the rest of the night due to what the team called a right hamstring issue, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (subscription required).
Sacramento already projects to be shorthanded in the frontcourt when the regular season begins next week, with forward Keegan Murray sidelined due to thumb surgery. It’s unclear whether or not Sabonis’ injury is serious enough to jeopardize his availability for the start of the season — head coach Doug Christie said after the game that he didn’t have a concrete update yet on the big man’s status.
“Listen, your star player goes down, you never want to see that, period,” Christie said, according to Anderson. “I can’t speculate on what it is. Hopefully it’s nothing. We have some time before the first game, but those are the things you just don’t want to see. But it’s part of what we do. It’s the same thing with Keegan. As unfortunate as it is, it’s just part of our game.”
We have more notes on injuries from around the NBA:
- Sixers forward Paul George continues to make progress in his recovery from offseason knee surgery. Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Wednesday that George has advanced to participating in live, full-court three-on-three drills, as Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports relays (via Twitter). It’s the first time the veteran forward has taken part in live action this fall.
- There’s a belief in Phoenix that center Mark Williams will be available for opening night after not playing at all in the preseason, says John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link). The Suns big man has been playing 5-on-5 and will get the opportunity to take part in a few more scrimmages before the team’s opener next Wednesday. Gambadoro adds (via Twitter) that he doesn’t expect Jalen Green (hamstring) to miss more than two or three games at the start of the season unless he experiences another setback.
- Rookie forward Ace Bailey has been ruled out for the Jazz‘s preseason finale on Thursday due to bilateral knee tendinopathy, tweets Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Head coach Will Hardy downplayed the issue earlier this week, so there’s no indication at this point that Bailey won’t be ready when the regular season tips off next Wednesday.
- Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt was ruled out of the second half of Wednesday’s preseason game vs. Dallas due to a left quad contusion, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link), who says the injury appeared to occur when Vanderbilt got kneed in the thigh. Vanderbilt is hoping to play a key role for L.A. this season after being limited to 65 total outings over the last two regular seasons due to health issues.
Warriors, Lakers Top 2025 NBA Franchise Valuations
The Warriors are still the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2025 on Thursday.
Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $11.33 billion, which represents an incredible 24% increase from last year’s $9.14 billion valuation. The NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, at $12.8 billion, continue to be the only global sports franchise whose valuation comes in higher than Golden State’s, according to Sportico’s projections.
As Badenhausen outlines, the Warriors lead the NBA in revenue by a significant margin, having generated an estimated $833MM last season. Golden State makes more than $5MM per game in ticket revenue, along with $2.5MM from luxury suites; the club also has a $45MM per year jersey patch deal with Rakuten, earns almost double what any other team makes in sponsorship revenue, and is one of the few teams to fully own and operate its arena, per Sportico.
After placing third a year ago, the Lakers have jumped to second place on Sportico’s 2025 list at $10 billion, based on Mark Walter‘s recent agreement to purchase the team at that valuation. The Lakers moved slightly ahead of the third-place Knicks, who come in at $9.85 billion.
Every team’s valuation has increased by at least 9% since last year, per Sportico, with the average value of an NBA franchise now at $5.51 billion (up 20% from 2024) and no team worth less than $4 billion.
The average valuation has more than doubled since 2022, when it was $2.58 billion. As Badenhausen writes, the NBA’s new $76 billion media rights deal and its global ambitions – including the possible creation of a league in Europe – have played a part in those gains.
Although the Warriors’ $833MM is something out of an outlier, NBA teams generated an average of approximately $408MM in revenue last season, according to Badenhausen, with the Grizzlies coming in last at $301MM. Memphis also ranks 30th on Sportico’s list of franchise values.
Despite placing at the bottom of this list, the Grizzlies actually had the most significant increase in their franchise valuation this past year, rising from $3.06 billion to $4 billion (31%). The Pelicans (30%), Timberwolves (29%), and Eastern Conference champion Pacers (27%) were the other biggest risers.
Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But these projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.
Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2025:
- Golden State Warriors: $11.33 billion
- Los Angeles Lakers: $10 billion
- New York Knicks: $9.85 billion
- Los Angeles Clippers: $6.72 billion
- Boston Celtics: $6.35 billion
- Brooklyn Nets: $6.22 billion
- Chicago Bulls: $6.12 billion
- Miami Heat: $6.03 billion
- Philadelphia 76ers: $5.61 billion
- Houston Rockets: $5.53 billion
- Dallas Mavericks: $5.24 billion
- Toronto Raptors: $5.22 billion
- Phoenix Suns: $5.09 billion
- Atlanta Hawks: $5.02 billion
- Sacramento Kings: $5 billion
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $4.86 billion
- Denver Nuggets: $4.8 billion
- Washington Wizards: $4.78 billion
- Indiana Pacers: $4.76 billion
- Milwaukee Bucks: $4.54 billion
- San Antonio Spurs: $4.5 billion
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $4.34 billion
- Utah Jazz: $4.27 billion
- Portland Trail Blazers: $4.25 billion
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $4.24 billion
- Orlando Magic: $4.21 billion
- Detroit Pistons: $4.17 billion
- Charlotte Hornets: $4.13 billion
- New Orleans Pelicans: $4.02 billion
- Memphis Grizzlies: $4 billion
As Badenhausen notes, Sportico’s projections are based on a control sale price, rather than limited stake purchases. Controlling shares in the Celtics, Lakers, and Trail Blazers all changed hands this past year, though only the Celtics sale has been formally approved by the NBA so far.
William Chisholm is buying the Celtics in two stages, with an initial valuation of $6.1 billion and a blended valuation of roughly $6.5 billion. Walter is purchasing the Lakers at a valuation of $10 billion, while Tom Dundon is buying the Blazers at a $4.25 billion valuation.
Kings Exercise Third-Year Option On Devin Carter
The Kings have exercised their third-year option on guard Devin Carter, according to a team press release.
Carter’s third-year salary will carry a cap hit of $5,158,080. Sacramento had until the end of the month to exercise that option, which is for the 2026/27 season. The team’s next contract decision on Carter will come next fall, when his $7,370,896 fourth-year option for ’27/28 will have to be either picked up or turned down.
Selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Carter appeared in 36 games with the Kings during the 2024/25 season. He averaged 3.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 11 minutes per game. The Providence product missed a chunk of the season after undergoing left shoulder surgery in July 2024.
Carter was reportedly included in at least one of the packages offered by the Kings in their failed attempts to acquire Jonathan Kuminga from Golden State this summer.
All of this year’s rookie scale team option decisions can be viewed here.