Precious Achiuwa had no shortage of choices in free agency, but he still landed back in Sacramento.
That’s the key takeaway from Scott Perry’s latest update on the Kings’ offseason. According to the Sacramento GM, Achiuwa had other options on the table, yet he specifically wanted to remain with the Kings.
For a team that’s coming off a 22-win season, that matters. Sacramento has not exactly carried the reputation of a must-join destination, but this summer has told a different story. The Kings have already seen players express interest in ending up there, including seventh overall pick Darius Acuff Jr., and Achiuwa now joins that group.
The 26-year-old’s return makes plenty of sense based on what he showed after arriving late last season. Sacramento picked him up on a minimum contract once the season was already underway, and he far exceeded that deal. Achiuwa put up 10.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 52.8% from the field and 27.8% from three.
The three-point percentage wasn’t eye-catching, but the rest of his game gave the Kings exactly what they needed. He brought energy, activity, and hustle, and that played a real part in Sacramento’s late-season success in the win column.
There had been real concern around the league and in Sacramento that Achiuwa’s play would price him out of a return. Instead, the Kings got him back on a two-year, $11.5 million deal, a strong number for a player who can start or come off the bench.
Free agent forward Precious Achiuwa has agreed on terms to re-sign with the Sacramento Kings on a two-year, $11.5M deal, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/IdQdbIOqMv
After six NBA seasons bouncing from team to team, Achiuwa appears to have found a place that fits. Perry has been collecting players who bring effort and energy every possession, and Achiuwa lines up perfectly with that approach.
He also seemed to settle in quickly with the younger players on the roster. Achiuwa joined Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell as part of the “Beam Boys,” even putting on sunglasses after wins. That kind of connection can matter over the course of a long season, and it likely helped make Sacramento feel like the right spot.
The full list of teams that chased him isn’t known, but the fact that other clubs were involved says enough. Achiuwa wasn’t just a depth piece with no market. He was a player other teams wanted, and the Kings still kept him.
He may not be the headline move of the offseason, but this is still a meaningful one for Sacramento. Perry has plenty left to do, but Achiuwa’s decision to come back is another sign that players are buying into what the Kings are trying to build.
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The problem is the same one that can quickly shrink a promising summer into a short stint: foul trouble. Cardwell has been impactful when he stays on the floor, but the whistles have kept interrupting his rhythm and limiting his minutes, leaving the Kings with a clear development point to monitor as they try to figure out whether his defense can translate into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the situation feel more real is how little room there appears to be for a clean reunion with the market he once occupied. DeRozan is still a free agent, and the expectation is that he will land somewhere on a veteran minimum deal, which says plenty about where his value sits at this stage of his career. For the Kings, the question is no longer whether they can build around him, but how soon they decide to move on and let the rest of the league sort out the chase. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Summer League Momentum Just Added Another Intriguing Twist
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Raynaud gives the roster another young piece to evaluate, and his arrival adds to a camp that general manager Scott Perry has framed around effort and chemistry as much as results. Perry has been encouraged by Raynauds development, and with the Kings continuing to mix in new faces and returning players in Las Vegas, the next few days should offer a clearer look at how much of that California Classic success can carry over once the competition gets sharper. [Read more 🡒]