Making Sense of the Kings’ Unexpected Mason Plumlee Signing

A veteran joins Sacramento

He was a rotation big for much of the period from 2013 to 2023. Last season, he played 8.6 minutes per game across 20 appearances with the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs, after taking on a mentor role.

The Kings’ center options

Sacramento has Domantas Sabonis as its starting center, with young bigs Dylan Cardwell and Maxime Raynaud in the mix. Raynaud is recovering from a right patellar subluxation. Precious Achiuwa offers a small-ball option, while Jonathan Mogbo provides two-way depth.

That group makes Plumlee’s on-court role uncertain. But the article says Sabonis did not look like himself in the previous game and raises the possibility that his knee injury or Raynaud’s recovery could affect the team’s available depth.

Experience beyond the court

The signing also gives Sacramento another veteran presence during a challenging season. Zach LaVine, 31, and Sabonis, 30, are the only Kings players aged 30 or older, and six of the team’s 13 players were on veteran contracts before Plumlee signed, excluding Ben Simmons and Daeqwon Plowden.

Plumlee was part of the Spurs team that reached the NBA Finals last season. The article presents that recent experience as a potential benefit for a roster that may need help managing emotions as well as filling a position.

Contract and roster flexibility

Plumlee’s rest-of-season deal is non-guaranteed and prorated. His salary will appear as $2,139,724 on Sacramento’s cap sheet, with January 10 listed as the guarantee date. The Kings would need to waive him by January 7 for him to clear waivers by January 10 and have the money removed from their cap sheet. The signing leaves Sacramento roughly $4.2 million below the luxury tax and meets the 14-player roster threshold, while leaving the 15th spot available for a minimum-contract player.