Many people in the NBA sphere were surprised that the Kings picked up the team option for Keon Ellis. After the 2024-2025 season, the franchise had the opportunity to let Keon leave.
Instead, the Kings took the 2025-2026 option in his three year contract, meaning he will finish that time out with the Kings. That should be a good thing.
While Ellis has seen his minutes steadily increase over those three years, his usage has not seen the same growth. If the Kings want to keep him after this current contract, they are going to need their approach to developing him and managing his time to improve. Dramatically.
Keon Ellis and the Kings
After going undrafted in 2022, the Kings picked Ellis up on a two-way contract. He played in the G-League then made his way up to the NBA, playing 80 games last season.
He averaged 24.4 minutes per game in 2024-2025, which is pretty good for a third year player. At the same time, his usage while on the court left a lot to be desired. That's despite Ellis rising to become one of the best two-way players in the league over the years.
Given what the Kings got up to in the offseason, or more accurately didn't get up to, that seems unlikely to change. It has harmed his overall development with the team, and likely how interested he is in playing there.
This will come back to bite the Kings
Unless the Kings convince Ellis to sign an extension during the season, he's an unrestricted free agent next summer. He's done good work for the team which is why they grabbed is option for what can best be described as a sweetheart deal.
Given the Kings' unbalanced roster that's weighted toward shoot-first guards, it might be getting harder for Ellis to find minutes this season. And the minutes he gets could easily be focused on other shooters. In that case, it's going to be hard to sell him on staying.
Ellis has the potential to be a clutch player for the Kings. The only question is if they know it. When free agency rolls around next year, a young shooter like Ellis will have interest from across the NBA.