To make this rebuild work, the Sacramento Kings are going to have to make cuts. That includes Killian Hayes, whom the Kings brought in to help them through an injury-plagued back half of the 2025-2026 season. But his departure might be more about lifting up another player, Daeqwon Plowden.
This isn't a secret, but the Kings have a lot of guards. It's not as bad as the Brooklyn Nets, a team that is roughly 50% guards at this point. This has led to a massive logjam at the one and two positions that has become unmanageable for Sacramento. Then, a massive bout of irony set in.
Late in the season, the roster was utterly decimated by injuries. They would end up bringing in Hayes as a point guard to fill in. This is a team that is borderline drowning in guards, and they were so beset by injuries that they were forced to bring yet another one in. That's the kind of season the Kings had.
It started with a couple of 10-day contracts, but the Kings were impressed enough that they handed him a proper two-year deal. It had a team option in it for 2026-2027, which Sacramento recently utilized and released Hayes back into the realm of free agency. It's not a surprise.
Hayes was released to make room for Plowden
Hayes was drafted in 2017 by the Pistons as the seventh overall pick. Despite his huge potential, he has struggled to find a permanent home in the NBA. He was with Detroit until 2024, then started bouncing around both the NBA and the G League. Hayes finds opportunities, but they don't stick.
This move by the Kings was likely less about Hayes and more about Plowden. Sacramento brought Hayes in to fill a very specific gap and signed him to a contract that allowed them to do that. But he also wasn't part of their long-term strategy. On the other hand, Plowden was and is.
He has been with the Kings for the last season and has proven himself to be a reliable wing with a high ceiling. It has been reported that Sacramento is interested in moving him from a two-way contract to a full NBA contract, which is a smart move given how well he played last season.
It's not that Hayes did poorly during his short time with the Kings. Frankly, it's possible that he could have done well there in the long-term. But Sacramento had to make a choice between two guards, and Ploweden was the right call. Hopefully, Hayes can land on his feet and find a new spot.
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