Kings, Hornets To Meet For Las Vegas Summer League Title
Play will wrap up in the Las Vegas Summer League on Sunday with the Kings facing the Hornets in the championship game at 9 p.m. CT. Both teams advanced with convincing wins on Saturday, with Sacramento defeating Toronto, 98-88, and Charlotte routing Oklahoma City, 109-80.
Isaac Jones led the way for the Kings with 36 points and six rebounds in the semifinal matchup. The 25-year-old power forward appeared in 40 games as a rookie last season and is set to return after the team exercised its option on him last month. Sacramento also got 15 points from Mason Jones, who missed the previous game with an oblique injury, and 12 points and seven rebounds from rookie center Maxime Raynaud.
Charlotte was led by 25 points from Jaylen Sims, who appeared in six games with the team last season after signing a 10-day contract in April. The 26-year-old shooting guard is currently a free agent. Kon Knueppel, the fourth selection in last month’s draft, scored 17 points in 21 minutes before leaving the game after suffering a head injury while diving for a loose ball, according to Ben Golliver of The Washington Post (Twitter link).
Even if Knueppel returns today, the Hornets will be without two of their top players. First-round pick Liam McNeeley missed the past two games with right Achilles tendinopathy, while last year’s lottery pick Tidjane Salaün sat out the last three games due to right Achilles soreness.
There were six unbeaten teams during this year’s preliminary games, with the Raptors (+15.8), Thunder (+14.8), Hornets (+12.7) and Kings (+11.5) advancing due to point differential ahead of the Timberwolves (+9.5) and Hawks (+8.0).
Today’s contest will feature a matchup of former college teammates Nique Clifford and KJ Simpson, who spent two years together at Colorado, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The Kings traded up to take Clifford with the 24th pick in this year’s draft, and he’s gotten off to a strong start in Summer League, averaging 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals in five games while shooting 55.4% from the field and 50% from three-point range.
Simpson has served as the Hornets’ primary ball-handler in Las Vegas and has posted 19.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals in five games.
The Kings are seeking their third title since playoffs were added to the league in 2013. They defeated the Rockets in 2014 and the Celtics in 2021. The Hornets are chasing their first Summer League championship.
Pacific Notes: Suns, Looney, Monk, Niederhauser
The Suns are embracing a new identity, writes Gerald Bourguet for Go PHNX. With Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant gone and Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Mark Williams, Khaman Maluach, and Rasheer Fleming in, the team has pivoted towards a younger, more athletic team construction around the recently extended Devin Booker.
The Suns now enter into a phase they will find unprecedented during the brief tenure of Mat Ishbia‘s ownership: one of patience. However, Bourguet writes that Ishbia’s own words make the concept of following through on a more long-term team build a question mark.
“When I make a mistake or things don’t go well, I change fast,” Ishbia said during exit interviews this spring. “We make quick moves, and I’m not afraid to do that… Patience isn’t gonna be my strongest suit, okay? We’re gonna try to compete and win, and we’re gonna get better.”
However, Ishbia did give reason to hope.
“I’m very patient if I think we’re on the right path and plan,” Ishbia said. “So, say it again, I expect us to win more games next year. But let’s just say we lost more games next year, but it was aligned, the vision and the tone that I’m gonna set, and we’re on a path, then we’re gonna go that way.”
We have more from the Pacific division:
- Kevon Looney‘s departure from the Warriors was facilitated in part by his lack of playing time, especially in the playoffs, as Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “It was anybody but me it seemed like at this point. It wasn’t no one moment,” he explained during an appearance on the Warriors Plus/Minus podcast. “Even this year, probably the playoffs. We going up against Steven Adams. This is what I do. They’re not really giving me the chance to really let me do what I do.” Looney added that after 10 seasons in Golden State, he didn’t feel like he should still have to prove himself or his worth. “When you prove yourself the first four, five years, all right, cool. But after 10 years of it, it’s like, all right. You either trust me or you don’t.” He added that he knows the coaching decisions from Steve Kerr weren’t personal, but he still felt that he drew the short end of the stick in Kerr’s quest to win.
- After the rumored Kings sign-and-trade of Malik Monk to bring in Dennis Schröder never took place, Monk is ready to do what’s needed to win, writes Will Zimmerle for SI.com. The Kings now have Schröder and Zach LaVine as their presumed starting backcourt, and despite Monk expressing a desire to be a starter in the league in the past, he’s reportedly willing to go to the bench if that’s what coach Doug Christie needs. “Malik has told Doug Christie, ‘I will do whatever you need, even if that includes coming off the bench,'” Matt George of ABC10 said on a recent ESPN radio show. “I don’t think he’s going to pout or throw a fit about it.” Monk was runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year in 2023/24, but split time as a starter last year and put up career-highs in points (17.2) and assists (5.6) per game.
- The Clippers‘ first-round pick, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, showed different skills in each of his first three Summer League games, writes Broderick Turner of the LA Times. While defense is his primary selling point, he was able to display some of the offensive package that intrigued the Clippers enough to select him with the No. 30 pick in the 2025 draft. “That’s the guard skills I was talking about,” Niederhauser said of a high-energy dunk he was able to throw down over a defender on a fast break. Those guard skills come from when he was a 6’5″ 16-year-old, before the growth spurt that shot him up to 6’11” and cemented his future as a center. “For a guy that’s his age, he’s still learning and growing into his frame that he hasn’t really had his whole life,” said general manager Trent Redden. “We just haven’t had a guy that size at that position in a backup role that’s young that we can feed into and give to our developmental staff.” Niederhauser enters a developmental situation where he can learn from two high-level defensive bigs in Brook Lopez and Ivica Zubac.
And-Ones: Summer League, Clifford, Barton, Apron Teams
The Kings and Raptors will square off in one of the semifinal matchups at the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday, while the Thunder and Hornets will match up in the other semifinal, according to an announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).
Those clubs are four of the six who have gone undefeated in Vegas and earned spots in the final four due to their point differential edge over the 4-0 Timberwolves and Hawks. The winners of Saturday’s semifinals will play in the Summer League championship game on Sunday night before the event wraps up.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- As impressive as No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg was during his brief stint with the Mavericks‘ Summer League team, Kings guard Nique Clifford beat Flagg out as the best rookie in Las Vegas, according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. Pelton also names Trail Blazers big man Yang Hansen the “most intriguing” rookie in Summer League, Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears as the slowest-starting rookie, and Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski as the best second-year performer.
- Veteran guard Will Barton, who spent 11 seasons in the NBA from 2012-23, is joining the DMV Trilogy in the BIG3 and will make his debut for the 3×3 team this Sunday, according to a report from Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Barton hasn’t been on an NBA roster since finishing a rest-of-season contract with Toronto in 2023. The 34-year-old has played in Spain, Puerto Rico, and China since then.
- In an in-depth story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes a look at which teams are members of the NBA’s “apron club” this season and which clubs are positioned to cross that threshold within the next year or two if they don’t end up shedding salary.
- The Pistons‘ acquisition of sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, the Heat‘s trade for swingman Norman Powell, and the Pacers‘ addition of big man Jay Huff are a few of the top “under-the-radar” moves that have been made so far this offseason, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Suns Show ‘Exploratory Interest’ In Jonathan Kuminga
The Suns have expressed “exploratory interest” in a sign-and-trade acquisition of Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
After buying out Bradley Beal and using the stretch provision to gain some cap flexibility, the Suns contacted both Kuminga’s representation and the Warriors regarding a potential transaction. However, the Suns — who dropped under both tax aprons via Beal’s buyout — still face major obstacles in pulling off a deal for Kuminga.
Golden State wants some level of first-round draft compensation in any Kuminga trade and the Suns are lacking in draft capital, Fischer writes. The current Suns roster also doesn’t appear to feature the type of player that would interest the Warriors front office.
Phoenix’s interest in Kuminga stems back to the February trade deadline when the Warriors sought a potential trade for Kevin Durant.
It’s not out of the question that Kuminga could remain with Golden State, but one side or the other would have to blink. Agent Aaron Turner has held numerous discussions with Warriors officials in Las Vegas this month trying to secure a contract that pays at least $25MM in average annual salary, even in the short term, according to Fischer. The Warriors have been reluctant to meet that price in a long-term agreement.
In terms of other possible destinations for Kuminga, the Kings have seemingly shown the most interest but Kuminga’s camp has also held out hope for a potential sign-and-trade with the Bulls. That scenario has yet to materialize, as Chicago has its own concerns about trying to re-sign restricted free agent and starting point guard Josh Giddey.
Joe Dumars Unfazed By Criticism Of Controversial Moves
The Pelicans’ new executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars has already made a number of eye-opening moves. He gave up CJ McCollum in a trade with the Wizards that brought Jordan Poole to New Orleans. He also traded up in the draft, giving up an unprotected 2026 pick in the process, to nab Maryland big man Derik Queen at the No. 13 spot.
Dumars took heat for those decisions, especially the latter. He told ESPN’s Marc J. Spears in an Andscape interview he doesn’t care about the backlash.
“I don’t mind the criticism. People say they don’t mind. But I really don’t mind,” Dumars said. “When you’re running a franchise, you make a determination of what you think you need to start growing your franchise. The opportunity presented itself that we could get two lottery picks, and to do that, you’re going to have to give up something. We gave up what we thought it would take to get these two lottery picks and we did.”
Dumars chose to return to his home state and take on the task of running a Pelicans franchise stuck in mediocrity. Dumars declined the vice president of basketball operations jobs with the Kings and Suns, according to Spears, but felt the New Orleans offer was “right place, right time, right people.”
Dumars addressed a wide range of topics in the interview. Here’s some of the highlights:
On the Poole acquisition:
“If you look around the league now, it’s almost a requirement to have high-level guard play, dynamic guard play. Jordan has a skillset that matches the most dynamic guards in this league. We’ve also seen him be a part of a championship team and contribute at a high level. So, with his skill set, he’s a dynamic guard and I know we have proof that he’s helped teams win championships.”
On how he approached the roster after taking the job:
“I felt the core guys like Zion (Williamson), Trey Murphy, Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray, I thought that was a really good group of guys all around the age of 25 years old. I looked at it from there and said, ‘OK, we need to build out and how do we complement each other?’ I thought the core was really good there and I thought if you have a good core, let’s build out around that core with the type of players that we need.
“And I thought Jordan Poole was a dynamic guard. I thought that Saddiq Bey was the perfect guy to come off the bench and add depth to your team. I thought that (free agent acquisition Kevon) Looney was the perfect guy for a team full of guys who were 25, 26 years old.”
On his relationship with Williamson:
“He and I have had some incredible conversations. We are in constant contact with each other. I’ve talked to him about the responsibility of being great and the responsibility of being a leader, of being a captain, of being the best player, of being the face of a franchise. I’ve talked to him about how all of those things come with responsibility and how it’s time now at 25 years old to embrace those responsibilities.”
On why he left his job with the league office to become a team executive again:
“I loved my job at the NBA. I didn’t like it. I loved it. And I always said it would have to take something special for me to leave, otherwise I wouldn’t. And so, this was what I considered special to be able to come back, run the Pelicans in New Orleans with quite frankly a lot of people I knew in the organization and outside the organization. That’s what made it special for me to say that I would leave the NBA and take this job because I really enjoyed working at the league office.”
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Wiggins, Bazley, Kings, Carter, Livers
Heat forward Andrew Wiggins was linked to the Lakers earlier in the offseason as a potential trade candidate, but Dan Woike of The Athletic suggested during an appearance on The Zach Lowe Show podcast (YouTube link) that he’s not anticipating Wiggins to be sent to Los Angeles.
“(The Lakers) are not interested in Andrew Wiggins,” Woike said when Lowe brought up the subject (hat tip to HoopsHype). “I think I can put that to bed. I’m pretty confident on that front.”
Those aforementioned reports on the Lakers’ apparent interest in Wiggins suggested that the Heat would be seeking Dalton Knecht or a first-round pick in addition to Rui Hachimura‘s expiring contract. As Lowe observes, the idea that L.A. would entertain that asking price never made all that much sense, given that Wiggins is coming off an up-and-down season in which both his teams (Golden State and Miami) were better when he was off the court than when he was on it.
“I didn’t understand those rumors,” Lowe said. “They were suddenly giving up a lot of s–t for Andrew Wiggins. Like, is Rui Hachimura just as good as Andrew Wiggins? Why am I adding a lot more to that?”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Former first-round pick Darius Bazley spoke to Matthew Valento of Lakers Nation about playing for the Lakers‘ Summer League team in an effort to “revamp” his career. The 25-year-old forward/center averaged 17.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in three California Classic outings and averaged a double-double (10.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG) through his first two games in Las Vegas before struggling on Monday, with just one point and four rebounds in 22 minutes.
- Kings star Zach LaVine is enthusiastic about what newly signed point guard Dennis Schröder will bring to the team next season, as Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee relays. “Me and DeMar (DeRozan) have a track record for being able to put the ball in the basket and do the things on the court that we need to,” LaVine said. “But I think we need an overall team concept to where everything’s working the right way. Sometimes roster construction helps out a lot with that. So having Dennis, a veteran point guard who’s been in a lot of places, can come off the bench, has started. He can calm things down. He’s been in pressure situations. I think it’s going to help a lot.”
- After making just 2-of-14 shots in his first Las Vegas Summer League game on Thursday, second-year Kings guard Devin Carter has bounced back admirably in what could be a trade showcase. As Jason Anderson details in a pair of stories for The Sacramento Bee, Carter led the Kings to a victory over Chicago on Saturday with 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting, then racked up another 17 points and three steals in a Monday win over Phoenix.
- New Suns two-way player Isaiah Livers spoke on Sunday about his long journey back to the NBA following a reshaping procedure on his right hip, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “They said I was probably playing on it for about a year, straight bone on bone,” Livers said of his hip injury. “It just kept getting worse and worse. I tried to go to L.A. last summer and do conservative rehab. We found out we got to do this special surgery. I was very upset. … (But now) I kind of feel like a whole new player, to be honest.”
Knicks To Hire Riccardo Fois To Coaching Staff
The Knicks have made the first hire of the Mike Brown coaching era, adding player development coach Riccardo Fois, reports Fred Katz of the Athletic (via Twitter). Katz notes that Fois is currently in Las Vegas with the Knicks as they watch their summer league squad compete.
The Knicks recently missed out on one of their top choices for Brown’s coaching staff, as it was reported that Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego would be remaining in New Orleans.
Fois spent last season as an assistant coach under Brown with the Kings. Before that, he was an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, after serving as the director of player development for the Suns from 2019-2021 and director of analytics at Gonzaga. Fois also has extensive international experience, having been an assistant for the Italian national team.
Fois’ time with the Suns, which included their 2021 run to the NBA Finals, gave him a good deal of experience with Mikal Bridges, who spoke about the coach when Fois left Phoenix.
“Riccardo is one of the most hard working people I know. All he cares about is getting people better and winning,” Bridges said in a 2021 statement from the University of Arizona. “The best thing about him is he’s an even greater person. He helped me a lot with developing my game and never letting me get too comfortable. I’m going to miss my guy and I wish him the best!”
Fois’s offensive creativity and familiarity with Brown’s coaching style will be key as the Knicks attempt to build a new system with a largely incumbent roster.
Nuggets, Kings Officially Swap Jonas Valanciunas, Dario Saric
The Nuggets‘ trade sending Dario Saric to the Kings in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas is now official, according to a press release from Denver.
The trade agreement between the two teams was first reported on July 1. At the time, it seemed like a fairly straightforward deal — Denver was adding a reliable backup center behind Nikola Jokic, while Sacramento was reducing its team salary by swapping out Valanciunas’ $10.4MM salary for Saric’s $5.4MM expiring contract, allowing the Kings to stay out of tax territory while completing other moves.
However, it became more complicated within the past 12 days, as word broke that Valanciunas had a three-year contract offer on the table from the Greek team Panathinaikos that he wanted to accept.
While there has been no indication that the mutual interest between Valanciunas and Panathinaikos has waned, the Nuggets have reportedly told the 33-year-old and his camp that they want the big man the honor his contract. According to reports, Denver had maintained interest in Valanciunas in recent years and views him as a critical addition to its roster.
In order to sign with Panathinaikos, Valanciunas would have to negotiate a buyout with the Nuggets and get a FIBA letter of clearance — as long as he’s on an NBA contract, he can’t unilaterally decide to play in another league, without Denver’s cooperation. Now that the trade is official, he and the Nuggets can formally sit down and discuss next steps, but it sounds for now as if the plan is to have him in camp in Denver in the fall.
Valanciunas landed with the Wizards via sign-and-trade last summer, then was traded to the Kings in February. The durable center made 81 total appearances last season in Washington and Sacramento, averaging 10.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 18.8 minutes per contest.
Saric, meanwhile, couldn’t carve out a rotation role in Denver after signing with the team as a free agent in 2024. He made just 16 appearances, averaging 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per night. It’s unclear whether the Kings intend to keep him on their roster entering next season — a return to Europe could be in the cards for the 6’10” forward/center if he reaches free agency.
Luke Adams contributed to this story.
Northwest Notes: Valanciunas, Nuggets, Thunder, J. Gentry
The agreed-upon trade between the Nuggets and Kings that will send Jonas Valanciunas to Denver and Dario Saric to Sacramento will likely be completed this weekend, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter links).
According to Stein, the delay was due to the Nuggets needing additional time to finalize “all aspects” of their Michael Porter Jr./Cameron Johnson trade with the Nets. Both of those players have extensive injury histories, so that may have played a factor, though Stein didn’t explicitly say that.
Denver had to formally complete the Porter/Johnson deal before it could acquire Valanciunas due to the way the trades were structured.
Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:
- Head coach David Adelman believes Valanciunas can be the offensive hub of the Nuggets‘ second unit, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays. “Point center. You can play combo guards. You don’t need a lead point guard (in lineups with Valanciunas),” Adelman said on ESPN’s Summer League broadcast. “You can play five-out offense, play off the elbow, post him up. He’s such a skilled player. … He shoots the ball better than most people realize. So that’s how I envision him. I think you have multiple combination guards. You can get away with that with a guy like that.”
- The Thunder have signed (or are signing) their top three players — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren — to maximum-salary extensions this summer. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports explains why Oklahoma City is uniquely well positioned to manage the punitive aspects of having an expensive payroll in the future, noting that the defending champions may not operate over the second tax apron until the 2027/28 season.
- The Timberwolves are hiring Jack Gentry — a former Lakers coaching associate — to be their new head video coordinator, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Jack is the son of longtime NBA coach Alvin Gentry, who is currently a member of Sacramento’s front office.
Kings Notes: Carter, Westbrook, Schröder, Rookies
The Las Vegas Summer League could serve as a showcase for second-year Kings guard Devin Carter, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. While there’s no indication that the talks have gained any real traction, Sacramento reportedly floated the idea of a trade package that included Carter for Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
The Kings’ willingness to discuss moving Carter a year after selecting him with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 draft will likely prompt a few rival clubs – including perhaps Golden State – to keep a closer eye on the 23-year-old in Vegas. For his part, when asked about how he’s handling a potentially uncertain future, Carter made it clear he’s not dwelling on the trade rumors, per Anderson.
“My pops (Anthony Carter) played for 13 years,” the Kings guard said. “He’s been traded a lot. I just talk to him about how he handled it. That will stay between us, what me and my pops be talking about, but I just come in to work every day, obviously thankful for the opportunity to be here, show up with a ready-to-work mentality all the time, and it is what it is. It’s a business.”
Carter’s 2025 Summer League experience got off to a somewhat shaky start on Thursday, as he made just 2-of-14 shots in 24 minutes of action against Orlando.
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Sacramento has been frequently linked to free agent point guard Russell Westbrook this offseason, but a deal between the two sides still seems unlikely to happen unless the club makes other roster changes, Sam Amick of The Athletic said during his weekly appearance on The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Sactown Sports 1140 (YouTube link). “The sense that I have gotten is that the Kings have a lot of affinity for Russ, without question,” Amick said. “But the backcourt is pretty crowded already, and there was concern about making it even worse. So I have certainly been leaning in the direction of thinking that was not going to happen. And nothing’s changed roster-wise to change the logjam that they would have by making a move like that.”
- In his first media session as a member of the Kings, Dennis Schröder said it “means the world” to him to have a team target and prioritize him as its starting point guard, as Anderson writes for The Bee. “I want to give it back, of course, every single day, every single practice, games, to leave it all on the floor and give everything for this organization,” said Schröder, whose three-year, $44.4MM deal is fully guaranteed for two years and partially guaranteed for the third.
- At the presser introducing Schröder, general manager Scott Perry referred back to comments he made previously about wanting to add players who are “competitive, tough, team oriented, disciplined, accountable and professional,” suggesting that Schröder ticks those boxes. “When you marry those two things together, when free agency was embarking upon us,” Perry said, “this was the No. 1 guy we felt in the league for us that was going to fit that bill and help us establish that sustainable success that we are striving to get.”
- In a separate story for The Bee, Anderson notes that rookies Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud made a strong impression in their Summer League debuts on Thursday, combining for 33 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the Kings’ win over Orlando.