The Sacramento Kings used their final open two-way slot on Leaky Black, rewarding the 27-year-old forward after a preseason stretch that clearly caught their attention.
The team announced on Thursday: "The Sacramento Kings announced today that the team has converted forward Leaky Black to a two-way contract,"
Black arrived in Sacramento on an Exhibit 10 deal, but his performance against the Portland Trail Blazers and over the last two preseason games appears to have pushed him over the line. The 6-foot-6 forward, who went undrafted out of North Carolina in 2023, has long carried a reputation as a strong defender. That part of his game, paired with his size and athletic profile, has helped him stay on the NBA radar.
For a Kings roster that needs help on defense, Black offers a useful body at the back end of the roster. And he made a real case in the preseason: 19 points, nine rebounds, and three steals in 49 minutes, while going 5-for-8 from three-point range. He is not a finished product, but he showed enough range, rebounding, and defensive competence to earn the promotion.
There is also a clear upside for Black himself. The Washington Wizards signed him to a two-way contract in February last season before waiving him in July, and he was again in need of a chance. In 15 appearances for Washington, he averaged 7.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, so there was still some uncertainty about whether another NBA opportunity would materialize.
From Sacramento’s perspective, this is a low-risk decision on a player who earned it. But it also fits a pattern that has frustrated some fans: the Kings have recently leaned toward older players on their two-way deals instead of using those spots to swing on younger prospects. Two-way contracts do not come with an age limit, provided a player has three or fewer years of NBA service, but the approach has not been especially youth-driven.
Black now joins Adam Flagler, 26, and Jonathan Mogbo, 24, on two-way deals for the Kings. Mogbo gives the group some real intrigue, and Black has now joined him by proving he belongs on the list. Still, with only one player under 22 on the roster, it is understandable why some fans would prefer those developmental slots to go to younger names.
Even so, Black did enough in preseason to justify the move. Some fans may have hoped the final spot went to Tristen Newton, but Black earned the contract Sacramento handed him.
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The Kings have added another name to the roster mix, converting forward Leaky Blacks Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal. Sacramento had an open two-way spot to work with, so the move comes without any corresponding roster shuffle, and it gives the club a closer look at a player who has already logged NBA time with the Hornets and Wizards.
Black has also made a case for himself with the Kings in preseason and in the G League, where his defensive versatility has stood out enough to keep him in the conversation. For a team still sorting through the edges of its roster, the move gives Sacramento a low-risk way to keep evaluating a wing who fits the kind of depth every contender eventually needs. [Read more 🡒]
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For a Kings team still sorting out its regular-season rotation, that kind of early momentum matters. Injuries have left room for someone to push into the conversation, and Mogbo has done enough to make his case for minutes before the games start to count, even if the final answer is still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
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That dynamic also puts Sacramento right in the middle of early deadline chatter. Domantas Sabonis is drawing renewed appreciation around the league, Zach LaVine is in the final year of his contract, and even a name like Ben Simmons has surfaced as a potentially affordable gamble if the Kings go looking for another swing. For now, the bigger issue is whether this veteran core stays engaged enough to give the front office something worth preserving when the trade market starts to heat up. [Read more 🡒]