Now that it is over, it is safe to say that the 2024-25 NBA season did not go as planned for the Sacramento Kings.
With that said, one of the few bright spots was Keon Ellis. After bursting onto the scene in 2023-24, Ellis proved that he was not a one-hit wonder after another good season this year.
Ellis can shoot, attack closeouts, and provide impact on the defensive side of the ball in a myriad of different ways (something we touched on his season review). At just 25 years old, Ellis is the kind of player you tend to find on great teams, and he is someone the Kings will want to keep around.
Fortunately, they have a couple of methods for doing so.
Loophole #1: Make Ellis a restricted free agent
Ellis currently has a team option for the 2025-26 season. Given that the amount is a measly 2.3 million dollars, you would think picking that option up would be a no-brainer for the Kings, especially since he was their best contract this season.
However, if the Kings do that, Ellis becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2026-27, which puts the Kings at risk of losing him for nothing after next season.
According to Spotrac Cap Expert Keith Smith, one thing the Kings can do is decline Ellis' team option, making him a restricted free agent this offseason. By doing this, the Kings can offer Ellis a long-term deal and match any offer that another team may make to him.
Loophole #2: “The Dinwiddie Extension”
The second loophole Smith prescribes (by the way, you should definitely check out his full article, it's a great read for people interested in the Kings) is what he refers to as “The Dinwiddie Extension."
This trick involves picking up Ellis' team option and then agreeing to a long-term extension. In that case, the most the Kings could offer Ellis is a four-year, 89-million-dollar contract. The figure probably wouldn't be that much, but he'd likely want something in the double figures on an average annual basis.
This loophole allows the Kings to profit off another year of Ellis' two-way impact at a discount rate (because he would only cost them 2.3 million dollars next year). But as Smart mentions, going down this pathway runs the risk of having Ellis refuse to negotiate a long-term deal and enter unrestricted free agency next year (he may not take too kindly to the Kings wanting to cash in on another cheap year of his production).
Regardless of what route they choose to go down, Ellis has proven to be a very valuable player, one that the Kings would be wise to lock up on a long-term deal as soon as possible.