Kon Knueppel, Dylan Harper Named Rookies Of The Month
Hornets wing Kon Knueppel has won a fourth consecutive Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). No other Eastern rookie has earned the honor in 2025/26, as Knueppel has now claimed the award in October/November, December, January, and February.
Knueppel continued to solidify his case for Rookie of the Year recognition by leading Charlotte to an 8-3 record in 11 games in February. He averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 31.5 minutes per game while knocking down more than half of his field goal attempts (50.3%).
Perhaps most impressively, Knueppel made 49-of-101 three-pointers, averaging 4.5 makes per game at a 48.5% clip.
Knueppel had shared Rookie of the Month honors with his former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg three times in a row, but with Flagg sidelined for much of February due to a foot injury, Spurs guard Dylan Harper became the first non-Blue Devil to break through this season, earning the Rookie of the Month award in the West.
Harper’s Spurs didn’t lose a single game in February, going 10-0 when he was active. The No. 2 overall pick registered 12.5 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 3.9 RPG in 25.1 MPG while shooting 55.4% from the floor. San Antonio had a +21.0 net rating during Harper’s 252 minutes on the court in February.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe, Wizards forward Will Riley, and Nets guard Nolan Traore were also nominated for Rookie of the Month in the Eastern Conference, while Jazz forward Ace Bailey, Grizzlies guard Javon Small, Kings big man Maxime Raynaud, and Mavericks forward Flagg were the other nominees in the West, per the league (Twitter link).
Keegan Murray (Ankle Sprain) To Be Reevaluated In Two Weeks
Kings forward Keegan Murray has been diagnosed with a mild left ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat).
While it’s a little unusual to see a team refer to an injury as “mild” and then say a player is going to miss at least two weeks, there are multiple reasons why Sacramento has no reason to rush Murray back. For starters, he just returned on February 19 after missing a month-and-a-half with a moderate left ankle sprain.
Murray re-injured his left ankle in the first quarter of Wednesday’s loss in Houston (Twitter video link via NBC Sports California). He rolled his ankle when he landed after jumping to contest a drive to the basket by Clint Capela.
The second reason the Kings have no reason to push Murray is the lottery-bound team views the fourth-year forward as one of its long-term cornerstones, having signed him last fall to a five-year, $140MM rookie scale extension that will go into effect this July.
After appearing in 80, 77, and 76 regular season games over his first three years in the NBA, Murray has been beset by health problems in 2025/26. The 25-year-old’s season debut was delayed until November 20 after he underwent surgery on his left thumb; he later missed a pair of games in December due to a mild calf strain; then he missed several weeks with the initial left ankle sprain.
Murray will miss at least six games as a result of re-injuring his left ankle, with March 14 at the Clippers likely the earliest he could return.
The fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Murray has been limited to 23 appearances this season, averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steal on .420/.277/.776 shooting in 34.5 minutes per game. 1.6 BPG would represent a career high for the former Iowa standout, though his FG% and 3PT% are at career low rates.
Sacramento is currently 14-47, which is the worst record in the NBA.
Pacific Notes: Murray, Melton, Leons, Garland
It has been a season to forget for Kings forward Keegan Murray. In addition to the fact that Sacramento holds the NBA’s worst record (13-47), Murray has spent the year battling various injuries. His season debut was delayed until November 20 after he underwent surgery on his left thumb. He later missed a pair of games in December due to a mild calf strain, then sat out for a month-and-a-half in January and February while recovering from a left ankle sprain.
Murray suffered another setback on Wednesday in Houston. In just his 23rd game of the season, Murray re-injured that same left ankle, rolling it in the first quarter and sitting out for the rest of the night, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
It remains to be seen whether Murray will face another multi-game absence as a result of his latest ailment, but the Kings have no reason to push him. The lottery-bound team views the fourth-year forward as one of its long-term cornerstones, having signed him last fall to a five-year, $140MM rookie scale extension that will go into effect this July.
We have more from out of the Pacific:
- Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton holds a $3.45MM player option for next season, but he seems less likely to exercise it with each passing day, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Melton, who had a season-high 28 points on Tuesday vs. New Orleans to increase his career-best scoring average to 12.7 PPG, has an incredible +15.7 net rating in his 688 minutes on the floor this season. Poole speculates that the versatile guard’s next contract could be in the range of $15-20MM annually. “It’s really fun to see him performing at this level after being out for a couple years,” head coach Steve Kerr said earlier this week. “He’s such a great guy, such a fantastic teammate. Hell of a player, and I’m really happy for him that he’s healthy and playing at a high level.”
- Forward Malevy Leons hasn’t played much for the Warriors since signing a two-way contract in December, but he proved in Wednesday’s win over Memphis that he’s capable of contributing when called upon. Leons registered nine points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes — all three marks were season highs. “I thought Malevy was awesome,” Kerr said, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Just the energy, defending without fouling, creating some problems for them at the defensive end of the floor and then making some nice plays on offense too. Was fun to watch him play.”
- Darius Garland‘s Clippers debut doesn’t appear to be far off, and his teammates and coaches are looking forward to it. Head coach Tyronn Lue said Garland has “looked great” in practices, while guard Kris Dunn added that the newcomer has already been a great fit off the court, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “We can’t wait. We’re doing good, we’ve shown some good stuff over the last two (games), but it’s also been tough for us,” forward Nicolas Batum said, referring to losses to the Lakers and Magic. “But that kinda showed us we need him. We can’t wait to have him back on the court with us.”
Pacific Notes: Santos, Green, Ayton, Kings
Power forward Gui Santos has seen his role expand with the Warriors in recent weeks and it’s given a major confidence boost to the 2022 second-round pick, he said on 95.7 The Game’s Willard and Dibs show.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I’m feeling really good right now about the shooting, you know the confidence,” Santos said (story via Kevin Borba of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think especially when you know that you’re going to play every night when you know that like your team trusts you, the staff trust you, that gives you way more confidence to go out there. You take shots with confidence, you take shots that you think like, ‘yes this shot is one shot that I got shoot it and I’m going to make it.’ And I feel good right now I’m in this position.”
In the month of February, Santos is averaging 29.7 minutes, 15.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency after the season.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- As with his past teams, Deandre Ayton is frustrating the Lakers with his inconsistent play. Ayton has a minimal offensive role but the team is trying to unlock his potential as a rebounder and defender. Coach JJ Redick also sees plays where the ball should go inside to Ayton. “There’s positive trends,” Redick said after practice Monday, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “We did watch some film today. There was some real positive trends defensively. I think his spirit and engagement and stuff has been really good. I think for all the guys, if he has a smaller player on him, that’s an advantage for us. Let’s just get him the ball. I think it’s just thematically across the team, we have to pass it to each other more and trust each other more. … In terms of him running and putting pressure on the rim and offensive rebounding, particularly against switches and smaller players, he could be better there.” Ayton is averaging career lows in points (13.0), rebounds (8.4) and minutes (28.1) per game.
- Jalen Green has missed a good portion of his first season with the Suns due to hamstring injuries. He’s now in a position to make a major impact with both Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks out due to injuries. “I think I bring a little bit of everything,” Green told Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. “Play faster, get some steals and get into the open lane. I think that’s where my biggest impact is, getting to the rim, the three and scoring.” Green is averaging 16.8 points over his last four games.
- The Kings‘ franchise-record losing streak of 16 games was finally snapped on Monday, as Russell Westbrook scored 25 points in a 123-114 road victory over Memphis. Precious Achiuwa matched his season-high with 20 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds. “We needed this,” Achiuwa told NBC Sports California, as Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays. “It’s been a bit of a rough path for us the past couple games. We’ve played really well a lot of those games. We were just unfortunate not to come out with a win, but tonight we’re glad. It feels good to win.”
Stein’s Latest: Middleton, Irving, Sabonis, Porzingis
Will veteran forward Khris Middleton seek a buyout in the coming days? According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link), the Mavericks have essentially left that decision up to Middleton and his camp and would be open to either negotiating the 34-year-old’s release or hanging onto him for the rest of the season.
Middleton, who has dealt with injuries in recent years, is no longer the same player who earned All-Star berths three times in four years from 2019-22, but he has performed pretty well since arriving in Dallas. His performance in Sunday’s win over Indiana – 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting, seven assists, and seven rebounds – was arguably his best of the season.
As Stein writes, the Mavericks have conveyed to Middleton that they’ll be in need of shooting heading into this offseason, so if he sticks around, it’s possible the relationship between the two sides could extend beyond 2025/26. If Middleton instead decides to pursue a buyout, he would want to do so sooner rather than later, since players waived after March 1 don’t retain their playoff eligibility with a new team.
In the event of a buyout, the three-time All-Star would be ineligible to sign with Cleveland, Golden State, or New York, since clubs operating over either tax apron aren’t permitted to sign a player waived during the season who had been earning more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1MM). Middleton’s $33.3MM expiring salary far exceeds that figure.
It’s also worth noting that Middleton would forfeit his Bird rights if he agrees to a buyout. While he’ll certainly have to take a pay cut this summer either way, retaining those Bird rights would likely put him in a better position to avoid settling for the veteran’s minimum or something close to it.
Here are a few more items of interest from Stein:
- Although Kyrie Irving won’t return from his torn ACL for the Mavericks until the fall, the club is hopeful that the star guard will be able to take part in at least one or two full-speed practices before the end of this season, Stein writes. Teams typically don’t practice in full during the season unless they have multiple consecutive days off — that will be the case for Dallas on March 19-20, March 28-29, and April 1-2.
- The Kings entertained trading Domantas Sabonis prior to February’s trade deadline, but it’s not considered a lock that they’ll do so again this summer, a source tells Stein. Sacramento’s interest in an offseason Sabonis deal could hinge in large part on where the team lands in the draft lottery and which prospect they select with that pick, Stein explains. Toronto and Washington were among the teams linked to Sabonis earlier this season, though the Wizards pivoted to acquiring Anthony Davis. It’s possible the Raptors would circle back on the Kings big man this offseason if he’s made available again.
- The Warriors‘ hope when they traded for Kristaps Porzingis at the deadline, according to Stein, was that he’d “click” with the team and its medical staff and would be willing to re-sign with Golden State at a more team-friendly price once his current $30.7MM contract expires. However, Porzingis’ availability remains an ongoing concern as he deals with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), creating uncertainty about his future in the Bay Area beyond this season.
Kings Sign Killian Hayes To 10-Day Contract
February 23: The Kings have officially signed Hayes, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets.
February 22: The Kings plan to sign free agent guard Killian Hayes to a 10-day contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).
Detroit selected Hayes with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft, but he struggled with offensive efficiency during his Pistons tenure and the team waived him in February 2024.
Still just 24 years old, Hayes has largely been out of the NBA for the past two seasons. He spent most of last season in the G League with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate in Long Island, averaging 17.3 points, 7.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals on .463/.371/.689 shooting in 33 games (32.9 minutes per contest).
Hayes, who played six games with the Nets in 2024/25 on a 10-day contract, signed an Exhibit 10 training camp deal with the Cavaliers in the fall to secure a bonus for playing for their affiliate team, the Cleveland Charge. Through 28 games with the Charge this season, Hayes is averaging 23.1 PPG, 8.3 APG, 3.9 RPG and 1.7 SPG on .468/.325/.800 shooting.
The Kings have an opening on their standard roster, which means they won’t need to waive anyone to sign Hayes. As a five-year veteran, Hayes will earn $153,330 over the course of his 10 days with Sacramento, while the Kings will carry a cap charge of $131,970.
Kings Sign Patrick Baldwin Jr. To Two-Way Contract
The Kings have signed free agent forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.
Baldwin, a former first-round pick, has spent most of 2025/26 in the G League with the San Diego Clippers. However, he recently signed 10-day contracts with the Clips and Sixers, and now is back in the league on a two-way deal with Sacramento.
It’s worth noting that this is Baldwin’s fourth NBA season and he will no longer be two-way eligible in the offseason. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
A 7’0″ power forward, Baldwin has appeared in 96 total NBA games since he was selected No. 28 overall in the 2022 draft. The 23-year-old holds career averages of 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game across his appearances with the Warriors, Wizards, Clippers and 76ers.
In 26 total NBAGL games (33.8 MPG) with San Diego this season, Baldwin has averaged 21.3 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.3 SPG, with a shooting slash line of .518/.336/.667.
The Kings were one of seven NBA teams with an open two-way spot, so no corresponding move was needed to add Baldwin. Sacramento still has a standard roster opening.
Seven NBA Teams Have An Open Two-Way Slot
After a busy trade deadline, we’ve reached the portion of the season where teams make changes to the back ends of their roster in preparation for the playoffs and the future. That often involves promoting players from the G League to either 10-day deals or two-way contracts, and converting two-way standouts to standard deals.
While 16 two-way standouts have been promoted in the past few weeks, that’s not always the case. Minnesota recently waived Johnny Juzang after he reached his 50-game active limit, for example, and Oklahoma City did the same a few weeks ago with Chris Youngblood.
Teams can convert players on two-way contracts to standard deals until April 12, the last day of the regular season. However, March 4 is the final day for a team to sign a player to a two-way contract, and several clubs currently have a two-way opening ahead of that deadline.
As our tracker shows, a total of seven two-way spots are vacant around the NBA, and each opening is for a different team. Here’s the full list:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Boston Celtics
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Sacramento Kings
Each of these seven teams is virtually certain to fill its open two-way spot in the next several days. Two-way contracts don’t count against the salary cap, so there’s no financial reason to not have all three spots filled by March 4.
Players on two-way contracts generally bounce back and forth between the NBA and G League, but remain under team control and can’t be poached by rival franchises. You can learn more about two-way deals in our glossary entry.
De’Andre Hunter Undergoes Season-Ending Eye Surgery
7:30 pm: Hunter actually underwent surgery on Friday afternoon, the Kings announced in a press release. His left eye was reevaluated this morning due to the ongoing iritis, and he was diagnosed with a detached retina, which led to the procedure. Hunter is expected to make a full recovery and an update on his status will be provided in eight weeks, per the team.
4:49 pm: The Kings will be without De’Andre Hunter for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes and Marc Stein of The Stein Line, who report (via Twitter) that the veteran forward will undergo eye surgery.
Sean Cunningham of NBC Sacramento confirms the news (Twitter link).
Hunter, Sacramento’s lone acquisition ahead of the trade deadline, suffered an eye injury in his second game as a King. He missed the team’s last three games before the All-Star break due to left eye iritis (inflammation of the iris).
The 28-year-old seemed to be on the verge of returning after the break, as he was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. However, he missed Thursday’s loss to Orlando — Sacramento’s 15th straight defeat — and now will be out for the team’s final 25 games of the season.
Hunter is the third highly-paid member of the Kings who is done for the season, joining Domantas Sabonis (knee surgery) and Zach LaVine (hand surgery). Sacramento holds the worst record in the NBA at 12-45.
The fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Hunter spent his first five-and-a-half seasons with Atlanta prior to being traded to Cleveland last year. While he played well with the Cavs down the stretch of ’24/25, he struggled with his outside shot this season, and the team sent him to the Kings earlier this month in a three-team deal which saw Cleveland acquire Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder.
Hunter appeared in 45 games this season, averaging 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.1 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .415/.305/.867.
Hunter, who makes $23.3MM this season, is under contract through ’26/27. He will earn $24.9MM next season ahead of free agency.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (via Twitter), the Kings will soon qualify for a hardship exception with Hunter, Sabonis, LaVine and Dylan Cardwell (left ankle sprain) all out for an extended period. They also have a standard roster opening as well as a two-way vacancy after promoting Cardwell.
Domantas Sabonis Undergoes Season-Ending Knee Surgery
The Kings will be without their starting center for the rest of the 2025/26 season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports (via Twitter) that Domantas Sabonis underwent surgery on Wednesday morning to repair the meniscus tear in his left knee.
Sabonis is one of two Kings stars to undergo season-ending surgery on Wednesday. As previously reported, guard Zach LaVine is going under the knife to repair a tendon tear in his right fifth finger. That procedure is happening right now, tweets James Ham of The Kings Beat.
Sabonis suffered that left meniscus tear back in November and originally opted for a non-surgical treatment plan, rehabbing the injury and returning to action a couple months later, in mid-January.
However, upon returning, Sabonis appeared in just eight of Sacramento’s 15 games heading into the All-Star break and played a relatively limited role (24.9 minutes per game). With the Kings well out of the playoff race and the big man seemingly not all the way back to 100%, he and the team apparently determined that it made sense to address the injury via surgery now in order to make sure he’s back to full health for 2026/27.
An All-NBA third-teamer in 2023 and 2024, Sabonis led the NBA in rebounds per game for three straight years from 2023-25. In 19 games (15 starts) this season, he averaged 15.8 points, 11.4 boards, and 4.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per night.
The Kings went just 3-16 in the games Sabonis played and haven’t been much better without him (9-28). Sacramento ranks dead last in the NBA with a 12-44 mark.
There are several more injury updates out of Sacramento ahead of the team’s matchup with Orlando on Thursday:
- Forward Keegan Murray, who has been out since January 4 due to a sprained ankle, said today that he’s ready to return, according to Ham (Twitter link). Murray, who signed a lucrative long-term extension with Sacramento last fall, has been limited to just 19 outings this season due to injuries.
- Shortly after being converted from his two-way deal to a standard contract, rookie big man Dylan Cardwell has been ruled out for at least four weeks due to a sprained left ankle, tweets Ham. Cardwell, who’s scheduled to be reevaluated in one month, sustained the injury at the team’s practice facility. With Sabonis and Cardwell unavailable, Maxime Raynaud, Precious Achiuwa, and Drew Eubanks figure to man the five for the Kings.
- After missing Sacramento’s last three games before the break due to left eye iritis, forward De’Andre Hunter was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, tweets Ham. Hunter seems likely to be available on Thursday vs. Orlando.