Sacramento Kings waive Nigel Hayes: Still on summer league roster
By Tyler Watts
The Sacramento Kings waived Nigel Hayes on July 7, but he remains on their summer league roster for the Las Vegas tournament.
The Sacramento Kings offered a massive contract to restricted free agent Zach LaVine. To do so, Sacramento had to make some roster moves to free up the necessary cap space. That forced the Kings to waive second-year forward Nigel Hayes.
Hayes with Kings
Nigel Hayes did not join Sacramento until April last season. He appeared in just five games with the team and averaged 21.0 minutes per contest. Hayes shot poorly but was fitting in with a new team late in the season. He averaged 3.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks over that span.
Strange rookie season
Hayes played for the University of Wisconsin but went undrafted in 2017. He is a combo forward with a big body who caught on with three different NBA teams during his rookie season. Hayes started with the Lakers before joining the Raptors and eventually the Kings. To make things stranger, Hayes played for two G-League squads including 38 games for the Westchester Knicks. He was well-traveled as a rookie.
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But LaVine isn’t coming
The central question for Kings fans is why did they have to waive Hayes if LaVine is not coming to Sacramento? When signing a restricted free agent, an NBA team has to create the cap space to absorb the contract and hold the space until the other team officially matches which has not happened yet. That made Hayes a casualty of a failed move.
Still playing for Kings
Things are not all bad for Nigel Hayes because he is still playing with the Sacramento Kings in the Las Vegas Summer League. He played nine minutes in the opening game against the Suns.
Reunion?
Judging by his minutes in summer league, Hayes is likely not long for the Kings roster. He will likely catch on with a two-way contract or perhaps have to earn another opportunity by playing in the G-League to start next season. Expect to see more Nigel Hayes in the NBA, though.
Final thoughts
The Sacramento Kings waived Nigel Hayes to create the cap space to offer Zach LaVine a massive contract. The Bulls matched the deal leaving the Kings with two losses on the move. It frees up another roster spot for Sacramento to fill in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that news.
Next: Re-grading the last 5 Kings drafts
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