Category: Sacramento Kings Blog

The Sacramento Kings today hired Brandon D. Williams as Assistant General Manager, according to General Manager Vlade Divac. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

In his new role with Sacramento, Williams will support all facets of the day-to-day operation of the Kings front office, including roster composition, player evaluation and development, contractual negotiations, free agency procurement, collegiate, G-League and NBA scouting processes and player personnel matters.

“We are so excited that Brandon is joining our front office team,” said Divac. “He is an experienced and talented basketball executive. His knowledge of player development and basketball operations combined with his legal skills will be a strong addition to our team.”

Williams joins the Kings organization after spending the previous four seasons as an executive with Philadelphia, most recently serving as Vice President of Basketball Administration and General Manager of the NBA G-League’s Delaware 87ers. In addition to aiding the 76ers front office in matters regarding prospect evaluation, player development, staffing recruitment and contract negotiations, the former Davidson Wildcat standout helped facilitate several NBA call-ups and coaching promotions as the 87ers General Manager.

Before working in basketball operations from a team perspective, Williams spent nine seasons in the league office as Director of NBA Player Development (2005-07) and Associate Vice President of Basketball Operations (2007-13), overseeing standards relating to on-court operations, quality of game play, monitoring conduct and discipline and officiating performance via the Standard Observers Program. During early development of the contemporary NBA minor league system thriving today, Williams was regularly consulted on various issues to improve synergy in the league’s affiliation and assignment systems. In 2012, the Louisiana native obtained a law degree from Rutgers University.

A veteran of nine professional seasons in the NBA, CBA, D-League and abroad, Williams’ playing career was punctuated by championships with the San Antonio Spurs (1998-99) and Sioux Falls Skyforce (2004-05)—where he played for current Kings Head Coach Dave Joerger. His playing resume includes appearances with the Golden State Warriors (1997-98), San Antonio Spurs, Huntsville Flight (G-League), Atlanta Hawks (2002-03), Sioux Falls and significant experience oversees in France, Greece, Germany, Italy and Israel.

The Kings have signed forward JaKarr Sampson and forward Jack Cooley to two-way contracts.

Sampson, a 6-9, 207-pound forward and 2017 NBA G-League Western Conference All-Star joins the Kings as a two-way player after spending last season with the Iowa Energy, where he accrued averages of 15.1 points (.489 FG%, .287 3pt%, .688 FT%), 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 25.7 minutes in 47 games (22 starts).

Sampson recently appeared with the Kings NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas, posting 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in four contests, including nine points, seven rebounds, and one assist in 23 minutes versus Milwaukee (7/12/17).

Undrafted after two noteworthy seasons at St. John’s, Sampson earned 2013 Big East Rookie of the Year honors after logging 14.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks in 33 contests. The Ohio native signed with Philadelphia after his sophomore season, playing for both the 76ers and their G-League affiliate, Delaware 76ers until 2016. Sampson posted 5.2 points (.422 FG%, .670 FT%), 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists as an NBA rookie in 2014-15, appearing in 74 games (started 32). He accrued similar averages with the Denver Nuggets during his most recent NBA stint in 2015-16 prior to an All-Star caliber campaign in the G-League last season.

Cooley joins the Kings after a productive tournament during the 2017 NBA Las Vegas Summer League in Las Vegas, where the 6-10, 274-pound forward registered 9.2 points (.640 FG%, 1-1 3pt, .619 FT%), 6.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 17 minutes in five games. He posted two double-doubles, highlighted by 11 points (4-5 FG, 3-5 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal and a block against Phoenix (7/7/17) and 13 points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3pt, 4-8 FT), a game-high 11 rebounds, two steals and one block versus the Suns (7/14/17). The 2017 Summer League marked Cooley’s fourth consecutive year competing in the event.

A former Notre Dame standout, Cooley spent last season with German club MHP Risen Ludwigsburg, accruing averages of 13.0 points (.569 FG%, 1-1 3pt, .697 FT%) and 6.8 rebounds per game in 37 contests, pacing the team in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.

Undrafted in 2013 after four years in South Bend, Cooley averaged 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest his senior season, earning First-Team All Big East accolades en route to helping the Fighting Irish reach the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in his collegiate career. He went on to play in both the Orlando and Las Vegas Summer Leagues before signing with Trabzonspor of the Turkish League for the 2013-14 campaign.

The Sacramento Kings have signed guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, General Manager Vlade Divac announced today.

Originally chosen 27th overall by Phoenix in the 2014 NBA Draft, the 6-6 shooting guard was acquired alongside the 13th and 28th picks (Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere) and a future second-round choice by Sacramento in exchange for the eighth selection in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Bogdanovic joins the Kings after playing the last three seasons in Turkey, where he led Fenerbahce to both the Euro and Turkish League Championships in 2016-17. In 27 games, the 24-year-old amassed averages of 14.6 points (.500 FG%, .430 3pt%, .855 FT%), 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.12 steals in 27.9 minutes per contest, earning All-Euro League First-Team and Turkish Finals MVP honors.

In addition to professional experience with Fenerbahce, Bogdanovic spent parts of four seasons with Partizan Belgrade, averaging 14.8 points (.401 FG%, .370 3pt%, .754 FT%), 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.67 steals per game in route to 2013-14 Euro League Rising Star accolades. Then only 21 years of age, he guided Partizan past rival Red Star Belgrade in the league’s championship series in route to posting 30.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest during the best-of-five series.

A member of the silver-medal winning Serbian national team in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bogdanovic averaged 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in eight contests, including a game-high 18 points (7-11 FG, 3-4 3pt, 1-1 FT) to accompany one rebound, five assists and three steals in a quarterfinal victory over Croatia. He helped guide Serbia into the Games with averages of 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists during the 2016 FIBA Qualifying Tournament, punctuated by 26 points (9-14 FG, 6-10 3pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and eight assists in the championship game victory against Puerto Rico.

The Sacramento Kings announced Wednesday that the team has signed 2017 second-round draft selection Frank Mason III to a contract, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

Mason, a 6-0 guard, averaged 20.9 points (.490 FG%, .471 3pt%, .794 FT%), 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals during the Jayhawks’ 31-5 record and Elite Eight campaign—becoming the first player in both Big 12 and Kansas history to average 20.0 points and 5.0 assists for a season. For his efforts, the four-year collegian swept the National Player of the Year awards as a senior, earning honors from the AP, Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA), NABC, Sporting News, CBS Sports, USA Today, NBC Sports and BleacherReport, becoming the first consensus National Player of the Year in Kansas history and just the second Jayhawks player to win the Wooden Award (Danny Manning, 1988). Additionally, Mason was bestowed the Bob Cousy Point Guard and Big 12 Player of the Year Awards. He concluded his career ranked sixth in KU history in scoring (1,885) and assists (576)—the only player to rank as high in both categories.

The first Kansas player to lead the Big 12 in scoring since 2004-05, Mason finished the season ranked 22nd in the nation in scoring while finishing first in the league in three-point percentage and fourth in assists. He posted 23 games of 20 or more points, including 10 of KU’s last 11 outings.

The Sacramento Kings have signed 2017 first round draft selections De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles to contracts, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

Tabbed with the fifth overall pick, Fox was just one of four freshman in the nation to average at least 16.7 points (.479 FG%, .246 3pt%, .736 FT%), 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. A Bob Cousy Award finalist, he paced the SEC in assist average and earned Third Team All-American honors by CBS Sports, USA Today and ESPN, as well as AP Honorable Mention accolades. The 6-3, 170-pound guard posted 22.0 points (.618 FG%, 3-5 3pt, .700 FT%), 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists en route to MVP honors during the Wildcats 2017 SEC Championship run, including a Kentucky freshman tournament-record 28 points versus Alabama in the semifinals. He later encored the performance in the Sweet 16 with 39 points (13-20 FG) against UCLA, the most ever by a freshman in a tournament game.

A junior out of North Carolina, Jackson was taken 15th overall after averaging 18.3 points, a career-high 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a consensus First Team All-American and ACC Player of the Year while helping lead UNC to the 2017 NCAA Championship. His 239 points scored in the tournament were the second-most in school history. In North Carolina’s six NCAA Tournament wins, Jackson paced the Tar Heels in scoring (19.5 ppg), field goals (41), three-pointers (15), assists (22) and steals (9). He also set a new single-season UNC mark with 105 three pointers made. He joins Rick Fox as the only Heels with 1,600 career points, 150 three-pointers, 400 rebounds and 300 assists.

An early entry candidate selected 20th overall, Giles accrued averages of 3.9 points (.577 FG%, 12-24 FT), 3.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 11.5 minutes, ranking fourth among ACC players with at least 150 minutes on the season in rebounds per 40 minutes (13.3). The 6-10 forward recorded a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double effort against Georgia Tech and a season-high 12 points versus Boston College before playing an integral role in the ACC Tournament semifinals, posting six points, seven rebounds and four blocks in just 15 minutes in a win over eventual national champion North Carolina. As a prep talent out of Oak Hill and Wesleyan Christian Academies, Giles was honored as a First Team All-USA selection by USA Today, a Third Team Naismith Trophy All-American and Fourth Team Max Preps All American as a junior in 2015 after averaging 23.9 points and 12.5 rebounds to lead Wesleyan Christian to a NCISAA 3A runner-up finish.

The Sacramento Kings today have added Phil Ricci as an assistant player development coach on Head Coach Dave Joerger’s staff.

Ricci brings nearly twenty years of collegiate and professional basketball experience to Sacramento, including a playing career that spanned a half dozen countries and the NBA Development League.

The northern California native and former Galt Warrior standout spent a decade playing abroad in Spain, Japan, Korea, France, Israel and the Czech Republic, where he guided Nymburk to an appearance in the 2010 European Cup for the first time in club history.

Prior to embarking overseas, the 6-7 forward parlayed a successful stint at Delta Community College (Stockton, CA) to a scholarship at Oregon State, where he averaged 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in route to All-Pac 10 First Team honors as a senior (2002). A year later, he registered 14.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest with Huntsville of the Development League after spending the summer as a member of the Kings training camp roster.

The Sacramento Kings today waived forward/guard Arron Afflalo, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

In 61 games played (45 starts) with the Kings during the 2016-17 season, Afflalo averaged 8.4 points (.440 FG%, .411 3pt%, .892 FT%), 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 25.9 minutes per game. The 10-year NBA veteran has accrued career averages of 11.3 points (.451 FG%, .386 3pt%, .825 FT%), 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 28.4 minutes per contest in 709 NBA games with Detroit (2007-09), Denver (2009-12 & 2014-15), Orlando (2012-14), and New York (2015-16).