Teams around the NBA are sorting out their lineups for the 2026-27 season, as a handful of young players face the consequences of these roster cuts. The Sacramento Kings, on the other hand, are still waiting to fill out their roster for the new season.
The Kings’ last moves were waiving DeMar DeRozan and two-way guard Isaiah Stevens in July, and they have yet to fill out the remaining three spots on their 18-man roster. As it stands, they have two standard contracts to fill and one two-way, but they do not seem to be in much of a rush.
Now, though, as we see which players around the league are hitting the open market, options are opening up for the Kings to take a chance on another young guy to bolster their young core. Here are three young players across the league who have been recently waived and could find a great opportunity in Sacramento.
Cam Whitmore
Cam Whitmore, 22, was just waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he should not struggle to find a new home. The former 20th-overall pick was recently traded from the Washington Wizards to the Cavaliers as part of a multi-team deal, but Cleveland had no plans to keep him around, which could be a mistake.
Whitmore is an uber-athletic wing who can score the ball when given the opportunity, and he has proven it at all levels. Through 119 NBA appearances over the last three years, he has averaged 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game, while shooting 45% from the field and 34.9% from beyond the arc.
The Kings should be more than willing to take a flyer on Whitmore, even if they do not necessarily need another wing.
Julian Reese
Julian Reese, 23, is coming off an unorthodox rookie season. After a surprisingly impressive tenure with the Wizards, Reese was thrown in a multi-team trade this offseason and sent to the Denver Nuggets, who waived him from his two-way contract. Similar to Whitmore, though, he should be able to find a new team, and it could be the Kings.
While he did not make his NBA debut until March of last season, Reese was nothing short of incredible. Through just 13 appearances, he averaged 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game, while shooting 52.9% from the field. He logged a double-double in five of his 13 games, quickly cementing himself as the top rebounding rookie in the NBA, despite such limited opportunity.
The Kings could certainly take a two-way flyer on Reese, especially to give them some more frontcourt depth in case of emergency.
Hunter Dickinson
Hunter Dickinson, 25, is a bit on the older side despite heading into just his second NBA season, but he remains an intriguing player the Kings should monitor. Dickinson was recently waived by the New Orleans Pelicans, where he spent his rookie season, and his all-around game should help him find another opportunity.
While Dickinson made just five NBA appearances for the Pelicans last season, he shined in the G League, averaging 18.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 stocks per game, while shooting 56.8% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc. At 7-foot-1, Dickinson does not have any glaring weakness in his game, as he could simply need some extra opportunities to make an impact.
Similar to Reese, there is no harm in the Kings signing Dickinson to their final two-way slot. While it is typically better to give these risk-free contracts to younger players, the Kings have had a trend of giving them to these older guys.
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