The Sacramento Kings are still searching for answers after stumbling to a 1-10 start, and the front office has already made one move while keeping another option in play.
On Wednesday, Sacramento signed Mason Plumlee to an undisclosed deal. The veteran center is expected to sit behind Domantas Sabonis, Precious Achiuwa, and Dylan Cardwell for minutes, but the Kings are clearly looking beyond the box score here. Plumlee brings experience, wisdom, and leadership to a roster that could use all three.
The bigger name in the mix right now is Gabe Vincent. According to The Stein Line's Marc Stein, Sacramento has been in contact with the free agent guard.
“The Kings have had talks this week with free agent guard Gabe Vincent, league sources say, in addition to tonight’s signing of veteran center Mason Plumlee to take their roster to 14 standard contracts,” wrote Stein on X.
Vincent spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks. In 29 games for the Lakers, he put up 4.8 points and 1.3 assists in 19.3 minutes a night. He was then dealt to Atlanta, along with a second-round pick, for Luke Kennard, and in 24 games with the Hawks he averaged 3.9 points and 1.6 assists in 13.3 minutes.
For Sacramento, the appeal is straightforward: Vincent could give the Kings a useful bench jolt. The backcourt isn’t overflowing with options, with Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, and Malik Monk handling most of the minutes.
Vincent also has a track record that still carries weight. He turned down a chance to join the New York Knicks, and his best stretch came with the Miami Heat in 2022-2023, when he averaged 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 25.9 minutes.
The Kings are also being linked to Kevin Porter Jr.
In Other News...
Kings Unexpected Center Move Raises A Bigger Sabonis Question
The Kings filled their roster spot with a familiar, steady hand, signing veteran center Mason Plumlee to a rest-of-season non-guaranteed contract after moving Nique Clifford. Entering his 14th NBA season, Plumlee gives Sacramento another experienced body in the middle, a practical addition for a team that needed to get back to the 14-player minimum while adding some insurance behind its frontcourt.
Plumlees deal is prorated and comes with a January 10 guarantee date, which gives the Kings a little flexibility but also a deadline to keep in mind. More than the paperwork, though, the move is another reminder of how much Sacramento still has to sort out around the center position and what it means for the bigger questions surrounding Domantas Sabonis as the roster continues to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Sabonis Rough Night Put Sacramentos Bigger Problem On Full Display
Domantas Sabonis had one of the roughest nights of his Sacramento tenure in the loss to Orlando, finishing without a point and with just two rebounds and five assists in more than 23 minutes. For a Kings team that has stumbled to a 1-10 start, the line was more than an off night for one of its best-known players. It was another reminder of how far the season has already drifted off course.
The larger issue is what the Kings do next with Sabonis, because the on-court struggles are running alongside a messy roster picture. Sacramento is reportedly trying to trade him, but his defensive limitations and expensive contract make that a difficult market to navigate, and Sabonis is also said to be unhappy with both the teams direction and the trade chatter around him. For a franchise already under pressure, the situation has become one of the clearest signs that this slow start is about more than just losses. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Brutal Start Puts One Drastic Roster Question Front And Center
The Kings rocky start has already pushed roster questions into the spotlight, and one of the more eye-catching ideas floating around is a speculative trade scenario that would send Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis and Will Richard to Sacramento from Golden State. It is the kind of proposal that speaks to how quickly the conversation around the Kings has shifted from early-season concern to bigger-picture urgency, with the front offices margin for patience growing thinner by the week.
Porzingis recent announcement that he is stepping away from basketball to prioritize his health only adds another layer to the discussion, since any theoretical deal involving him now carries a very different tone than it did even recently. The piece explores what such a move could mean for Sacramentos roster construction, but for now it remains just that, a hypothetical built around the Kings uneven opening and the pressure that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]