The Sacramento Kings receive some bad news heading into Summer League

The beginning of the 2024 Las Vegas Summer League is quickly approaching (the California Summer League Classic is even closer), as the Sacramento Kings will be playing their first game on Friday, July 12, against the Memphis Grizzlies (see the full schedule here).

Unfortunately, the Kings will be doing so without their 13th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Devin Carter. On Wednesday, it was reported that the team would be holding out Carter as he continues to recover from a left shoulder injury he was working through prior to their drafting him.

Fortunately, this sounds more like a precautionary measure rather than anything to be concerned about long-term (*knocks wood*). However, it is a devastating blow to fans who were eager to get a glimpse at what Carter may be able to bring to the table for the team next season. Now, we will have to wait until the preseason in September to see what he's made out of.

The Kings Summer League Roster

So far, the Kings have only officially announced their summer league roster for the California Classic. But one can assume that their Vegas Summer League roster won't be all that different (considering it starts two days after the California Classic ends).

This year, they are going to have two summer league teams at the California Classic – one that will play at Golden 1 Center (the Kings home arena) and one that will play at the Chase Center (home of the Golden State Warriors). Here is what those rosters look like:

A lot of interesting names on those lists, but the one that jumps out the most is that of soon-to-be third-year guard Keon Ellis. Ellis started 21 games for the Kings last year, and he projects to be a key piece in their rotation this year. So, it is interesting that he is even participating in something like summer league (which is intended for first/second-year players who have smaller roles on their teams and need more repetitions).

Other names to watch out for are Colby Jones, Isaiah Crawford, and Isaac Jones. Crawford and Jones are the two undrafted rookies we added in the 2024 NBA Draft (I'm very high on Crawford). And Jones was our second round pick last year. It will be interesting to see how much he's grown.

Drew Timme – a former finalist for Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year – will also be on one of the teams.