The Sacramento Kings filled their roster spot with a familiar NBA body and, maybe more importantly, a little breathing room.
After dealing Nique Clifford to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento had two weeks to add another player on a standard contract to get back to the 14-man minimum. The answer came today: veteran center Mason Plumlee.
Plumlee brings a long resume with him. The former Duke Blue Devil is in his 14th NBA season, and his best stretch came in the late 2010s, when he put up about 10 points and 8 rebounds a night for the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets. He was a steady rotational big for most of the span from 2013-2023.
But the version of Plumlee who could be counted on for meaningful minutes is probably in the rearview mirror. He had a regular role with the Phoenix Suns in 2024-25, then moved into more of a mentor-type presence last season.
He appeared in 20 games for the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs and averaged 8.6 minutes per game. Sacramento will be his ninth team.
On paper, the fit looks awkward. The Kings already have Domantas Sabonis starting at center, plus Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Raynaud as young bigs to develop, Precious Achiuwa as a small-ball option, and Jonathan Mogbo as two-way depth. That’s a crowded room.
The wrinkle is that the Kings’ frontcourt depth is also being tested right now. Sabonis did not look like himself in the last game, Raynaud is still working back from a right patellar subluxation, and there’s at least a chance Sabonis’ knee issue is more serious than it first appeared. Raynaud’s recovery may also be taking longer than expected.
“Was looking for the Kings to protect Sabonis if he was playing hurt, this move of adding Mason Plumlee is the beginning of that protection. Speculation was warranted, now we have an answer.
Don't be surprised if they announce Domas has to miss some time. Precious banged up too.”
That’s the basketball side. Off the floor, the move makes more sense as a stabilizer.
Zach LaVine, at 31, and Sabonis, at 30, are the only Kings players older than 30. And before this signing, only 6 of 13 players on the roster were on veteran contracts, not counting Ben Simmons or Daeqwon Plowden, who is on a vet minimum but has played just 6 NBA games aside from his time with Sacramento.
In that sense, Plumlee may be less about what he does on the court and more about what he brings to the room. He was on the Spurs team that reached the NBA Finals last season, so he has recent experience around high-level basketball. For a team working through a difficult season, that kind of presence matters.
Even so, the roster still has a glaring issue elsewhere. Sacramento could use a backup point guard so Darius Acuff Jr. doesn’t have to lead the league in minutes per game.
Gabe Vincent, the former Stockton King, has been mentioned as a possibility and would have fit that need better. He also has Finals experience and plays a position where the Kings are thin even when healthy.
Plumlee’s deal is a rest-of-season non-guaranteed contract. Because it was signed now, the salary is prorated, and the non-guaranteed setup keeps the move low-risk. His cap hit will be $2,139,724, with a guarantee date of January 10.
If Sacramento wants the money to come off its cap sheet, it would need to waive Plumlee by January 7 so he clears waivers by January 10. Otherwise, the full prorated salary becomes guaranteed.
For now, the signing leaves the Kings about $4.2 million below the luxury tax and gets them to the 14-player threshold. It also preserves flexibility: Sacramento can use its 15th roster spot on another minimum deal if it chooses to address point guard depth.
Plumlee could be with the team on Friday when the Kings face the Portland Trail Blazers in their second Emirates NBA Cup matchup.
In Other News...
Zach LaVine Just Sent A Big Message About The Kings Offense
After the loss to Orlando, Zach LaVine made it clear the Kings are already adjusting around the rise of rookie Darius Acuff Jr. LaVine said his role is shifting to support the young guard, who has quickly emerged as Sacramentos primary scorer, and he acknowledged his own turnovers as part of what went wrong in the game. For a team still searching for the right offensive balance, the message was less about one rough night and more about where the Kings are headed.
Acuffs latest outing only strengthened that case, with 29 points and six assists as he kept extending a streak of consecutive games with at least 20 points and five assists. LaVine said he wants to help Acuff grow by adapting his own style, which is a notable admission from a veteran scorer who has spent much of his career carrying the load himself. For Sacramento, the bigger question now is how quickly that partnership can settle in while the offense continues to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Trade Buzz Suddenly Tests Sacramentos Commitment To Its Youth Movement
Scott Perrys latest move already signaled how Sacramento is thinking about the back end of its roster, sending guard Nique Clifford to Oklahoma City for future second-round picks. It was the kind of deal that fits a team trying to keep its options open, and it also comes at a time when the Kings are still shaping the next wave around rookie Darius Acuff Jr., whose development has become part of the bigger conversation in the organization.
Now the buzz around Draymond Green is putting that youth-first approach to the test. Green, Perry and Acuff all have Michigan ties, and Green recently offered Acuff advice during a preseason game, which only adds to the intrigue around a possible fit. Sacramentos interest appears tied in part to the idea of Green as a mentor, but with the Kings still leaning into younger pieces and Green currently a free agent, the path from speculation to something real is far from clear. [Read more 🡒]
Darius Acuffs Frustration Says Everything About The Kings 1-10 Start
The early season has been rough enough in Sacramento that even the rookies are sounding worn down by it. After the Kings fell to the Orlando Magic and slipped to 1-10, Darius Acuff voiced the kind of frustration that usually comes only after a team has spent too long searching for a win, especially with the home skid now at 0-4. For a group that has talked about effort and urgency, the results have not followed, and the mood around the roster reflects it.
Acuff has still been producing, averaging 26.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in more than 37 minutes a night, which makes the lack of team success feel even sharper. Zach LaVine also pointed to turnovers and the outside noise surrounding the Kings, a reminder that this start is drawing criticism from every direction. The bigger question now is whether Sacramento can turn that individual frustration into something more stable before the season gets away from it. [Read more 🡒]