When the Kings report for training camp in Sacramento, the stage is set for a fierce competition between backup centers. On Saturday, the Kings formally declared the signing of veteran center JaVale McGee.
Five players will compete for what will probably be two backup positions behind All-Star center Domantas Sabonis when training camp starts on October 3. As per team rules, the terms of the agreement were not made public, but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, McGee received a one-year contract guarantee from the Kings for the veteran minimum.
For a player with ten or more years of NBA experience, the minimum deal is over $3.2 million. Merely around $2 million is deducted from the team’s salary cap under the minimum salary exception.
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Although McGee’s status on the team isn’t secured by the guaranteed deal, it could offer him an advantage. Six centers, Sabonis, McGee, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel, Neemias Queta, and Skal Labissiere, are under contract with the Kings.
Contract guarantees are only in place for Sabonis, Len, and McGee. The Sacramento Bee has learned from sources that the Kings intend to relegate Labissiere to the G League Stockton Kings. McGee, Len, Noel, and Queta will therefore probably have to fight for two roster places.
JAVALE MCGEE McGee has played in 74 postseason games in his 15 years of experience. He is a three-time NBA champion and an Olympic gold medallist.
In 2020, he won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, and in 2017 and 2018 with the Golden State Warriors. Standing seven feet tall and 270 pounds, McGee is Sacramento’s best backup option; but, at 35 years old, he is also the oldest.
McGee displayed indications of deterioration last season, averaging 4.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in 42 games for the Dallas Mavericks. Prior to that, he averaged 9.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 74 games for the Phoenix Suns in 2021–2022.
ALEX LEN Two more seasoned centers with postseason experience are Len and Noel. Len, 30, weighs 250 pounds and stands 7 feet 1 inch. He has been in the playoffs for ten years and has made twelve appearances.
Len averaged 1.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 26 games while playing for Sacramento in the previous campaign. Len saw limited action in the first several months of the season as the team continued to look for a dependable backup center option.
However, in mid-March, coach Mike Brown went to Len. Len was re-signed by the Kings for $3.2 million on a fully guaranteed one-year minimum contract.
NOEL NERLENS At 6’10” and 220 pounds, Noel is 29 years old. With nine years of experience, he has participated in seventeen postseason games. Noel has only played in 42 games over the last two seasons, despite recording career highs of 11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015–16 and a career-high 2.2 blocks per game with the New York Knicks in 2020–21.
Noel agreed to a free-agent deal with the Kings for the veteran minimum of $3.2 million. Spotrac reports that $300,000 in guaranteed funds are part of the arrangement. Should Noel make the opening night roster, his guaranteed salary will be $600,000. If he stays with the team through January 10th, the contract will become completely guaranteed.
NEEMIAS QUETA Queta, a younger choice, is a wonderful size at 7 feet tall and 245 pounds. She is 24 years old. Despite showing tremendous potential in Stockton, where he finished second in the G League MVP competition the previous year, he has not yet established himself in the NBA. Queta was re-signed by the Kings to a two-year, $4.2 million contract, however the first year’s guarantee is only $250,000, and the second year’s payment is not guaranteed. On opening night, Queta will earn a guaranteed $500,000; on January 10, the guarantee will be complete.
