The Sacramento Kings may not have made a deal during the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, but they did fill an available roster position.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings have signed second-year guard Keon Ellis to a three-year contract, elevating him from a two-way player to a normal NBA contract.
Ellis, 24, was approaching the 50-game maximum on his two-way deal, but the guard will now be allowed to play without limits in the future.
The signing of Ellis, who went undrafted during the 2022 NBA Draft, adds to the guard’s inspiring story.
For the first time in his NBA career, Ellis is on a full contract as Sacramento will not have to worry about holding the guard out of game action in order to remain underneath the 50-game limit for two-way players.
Over 29 appearances this season, the Alabama product is averaging 3.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game on 43 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Ellis has seen stints in head coach Mike Brown’s rotation as a backup point guard, most recently in December when he played 15.5 minutes per game over a twelve-game stretch.
As the Kings continue to search for stability in the rotation, Brown can now call on Ellis for the remainder of the season and beyond if backup guard Davion Mitchell goes through another rough stretch.
Ellis’ intensity on defense can also come in handy when Sacramento is in a pinch and needs to switch things up on that end of the floor.
Following a tough 24-hour stretch that saw the Kings fall short to the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons before standing pat at the trade deadline, the signing of Ellis acts as a pallet cleanser–especially for a player who has done everything he can to earn a full NBA deal.
Mission accomplished.
Sacramento will begin a brutal portion of its regular season schedule on Friday night when they face the defending champion Denver Nuggets at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings will face Denver (three times), Oklahoma City, Phoenix, the Los Angeles Clippers, and Minnesota Timberwolves over their next ten games.
Be sure to tune in right here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all of your Kings vs. Nuggets coverage, beginning at 5:30 PM PST on Game Night before a 7:00 PM PST tip-off from
