Devin Carter is back on the market.
The former No. 13 overall pick, who was sent from the Sacramento Kings to the Atlanta Hawks earlier this offseason, was waived by Atlanta on Thursday. That makes Carter an unrestricted free agent, and the Boston Celtics have already shown interest.
Carter’s exit comes after a busy summer for Sacramento’s backcourt. The Kings moved on from veteran pieces like Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, then brought in Darius Acuff Jr. to serve as the lead guard of the future. Carter, who spent the last two seasons in Sacramento, was also included in the shuffle when the Kings dealt him to Atlanta.
That trade was mainly about money. Sacramento cleared Carter’s $5.2 million salary and got below the second apron, but it cost them a second-round pick to complete the deal.
Now Carter has to reset again, and there’s at least one obvious suitor already watching. Boston has reportedly shown interest in the former Providence standout, though his next stop is still unclear.
On the court, Carter gave Sacramento some real moments last season. He played in 38 games and averaged 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest. Late in the year, with Zach LaVine still out and the Kings looking for help in the backcourt, Carter earned a larger role and made the most of it.
His best stretch came over three games in late March, when he put up 19.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 52-46-83. It started against the Indiana Pacers, when Carter scored a team-high 24 points in only sixteen minutes and delivered instant offense off the bench. Twenty-two of those points came in the fourth quarter.
Sacramento entered the final period down by double digits, but Carter helped spark a comeback push as the Kings outscored Indiana 42-27. He was highly efficient in that game, hitting 9-of-13 shots and 75% of his 3-point attempts, going 3-for-4.
He kept it rolling after that, posting back-to-back scoring totals of at least 16 points and knocking down three more triples in his next game against the Charlotte Hornets.
The biggest question around Carter remains the same one that has followed him: the 3-point shot. He’s been uneven from deep so far in his NBA career, shooting 27.4% from beyond the arc. If Boston is the landing spot, Joe Mazzulla’s 3-point-heavy system will put that skill under a bright spotlight.
Carter now joins the list of Sacramento first-round guards who never really found steady footing with the franchise, but he’s still just 24. With more consistency from long range and continued growth as a playmaker, he still has a path to becoming a bench point guard in the league.
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