Marquel Sutton made a strong case for himself during the California Classic, and the Sacramento Kings should be paying close attention.
The 23-year-old power forward, fresh off his college career at LSU after stops at Connors State and the University of Nebraska Omaha, used the Kings’ Summer League stage to show why he belongs in the conversation for a longer look. Sutton declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, but went undrafted this year, and Sacramento brought him in on a 10-day contract while he worked through the California Classic.
He appeared in all three games for the Kings and got better each time out. That progression mattered as much as the box scores, especially with Sutton sharing the floor with some of Sacramento’s top draft picks from 2025 and 2025 and holding his own.
His first outing came against the Nets, where he played a little more than 11 minutes and finished with two points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal. The numbers were modest, but the rest of the Classic told a different story.
Against the Warriors Blue, Sutton logged 23-plus minutes and posted 16 points, eight rebounds, and one steal. Then he started at power forward against the Bucks, played nearly 33 minutes, and delivered 24 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks.
He also shot 42.9% from the field, 50.0% from three, and 100% from the charity stripe against the Bucks. His plus-minus stayed in the positive throughout the California Classic, another sign that he was making an impact beyond just scoring.
With DeMar DeRozan waived, the Kings have two open spots on the main roster. If Sacramento decides to move someone like Isaiah Stevens onto a standard NBA contract, the front office would be wise to use one of the remaining two-way slots on Sutton. His developmental upside is hard to miss.
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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 🡒]
DeMar DeRozans Kings Exit Suddenly Feels A Lot More Real
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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
The Kings Summer League run in Las Vegas got a little more interesting with the addition of Maxime Raynaud, who missed the California Classic while away on French national team duty. Sacramento already rolled through that event at 3-0, with several rookies and second-year players helping set an upbeat tone, and Raynaud now joins a group that has spent the first stretch of July trying to turn that early momentum into something more cohesive.
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 🡒]