Kings ship Mitchell, Vezenkov, pick to Raptors for McDaniels originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Kings will part ways with two players ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Sacramento has traded guard Davion Mitchell and forward Sasha Vezenkov to the Toronto Raptors for sixth-year wing Jalen McDaniels, the team announced Friday morning.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania first reported the news Thursday afternoon, citing sources.
Sources: Toronto is sending Jalen McDaniels to the Kings for Davion Mitchell and Sasha Vezenkov.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2024
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported, citing sources, that the Kings will also add the 45th pick from Thursday’s NBA draft as part of the deal.
The Kings will send the Raptors the 45th pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft as part of the deal, sources told ESPN. https://t.co/TtvJfea9Fi
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024
Wojnarowski reported that the trade allows the Kings to slip under the luxury tax line while freeing up a roster spot.
This deal puts the Kings under the luxury tax and frees up a spot on the roster.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 27, 2024
The Kings, who selected on behalf of the Raptors, used the No. 45 overall pick on Houston Cougars point guard Jamal Shead.
Mitchell, 25, was drafted No. 9 overall by Sacramento in 2021. The Baylor product has been praised primarily for his defense and has shown glimpses of his shooting and playmaking ability.
As a rookie, he averaged 11.5 points on 41.8 percent shooting, with 2.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 27.7 minutes. He started 19 games that season – the most of his career – mainly filling in for an injured De’Aaron Fox. He made the most of the opportunity, but things changed in his second season.
The Kings added guards Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter to the roster, and Mitchell saw his playing time significantly decrease by nearly ten minutes and even more during the 2023-2024 season.
In just 15.3 minutes off the bench last season, Mitchell averaged 5.3 points on 45.2 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent from 3-point range, with 1.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 72 games.
According to reports, Sacramento has retained Monk. He wants to sign a four-year, $78 million contract to stay with the Kings. With Colby Jones out of the 2023 draft, Devin Carter out of the 2024 draft and the inspiring arrival of Keon Ellis, Sacramento had to part ways with its guard players and find a new home for Mitchell.
Meanwhile, conflicting rumors have swirled about Vezenkov and the Kings this offseason.
Vezenkov reportedly grew frustrated with the lack of playing time in his first NBA season with the Kings, but multiple sources told FOX40’s Sean Cunningham that there was “no truth” to the report about his desire to leave the NBA. One source even called the report “inaccurate.”
That appears to be the case for Vezenkov, who has not left the league but has found a new home in the NBA.
Vezenkov averaged 5.4 points on 44 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent on 3-pointers in 12.2 minutes. He also grabbed 2.3 rebounds, made 0.5 assists and made 0.5 steals.
McDaniels has had an inconsistent career thus far, playing for three teams in six years.
The 26-year-old’s best season came with the Charlotte Hornets during the 2022-23 season, when he averaged 10.6 points on 44.7 percent shooting, added 4.8 rebounds, two assists and 1.2 steals in 56 games before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
He hasn’t found as much NBA success as his younger brother, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels, but at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Jalen could be exactly what Sacramento has been looking for in a wing.
