The Sacramento Kings are fighting to secure a play-in spot in the Western Conference and recently faced a setback with Domantas Sabonis sidelined due to an ankle injury. With their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the Kings can’t afford to be short on depth. To bolster their roster, they have converted top stars’ two-way contract into a standard NBA deal, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Kings had an available roster slot, allowing them to upgrade veteran star, who has provided valuable minutes off the bench throughout the season.
Currently sitting at 35-35, Sacramento holds the ninth seed in the Western Conference. They trail both the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Clippers and the eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves by five games, while maintaining a one-and-a-half-game lead over the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, who are tied for the 10th and 11th spots.
With only a few games left in the regular season, Sacramento needs every bit of help to secure their postseason berth. The roster has undergone significant changes compared to the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign, most notably due to the blockbuster trade that sent De’Aaron Fox elsewhere.
Isaac Jones gets standard contract with Kings
The Kings have built a reputation in recent seasons for successfully developing players on two-way contracts. They previously helped groom Neemias Queta, who has since become a key contributor for the Boston Celtics, and Keon Ellis, now one of Sacramento’s most reliable 3-and-D players.
Isaac Jones is the latest success story, earning a standard NBA contract after starting the season on a two-way deal. Undrafted out of Washington State, Jones signed with the Kings and quickly carved out a role in the rotation under former head coach Mike Brown.
Jones recently reached the limit of NBA games allowed under his two-way contract, having played in 31 games this season. In just over eight minutes per contest, he has averaged 3.1 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting an efficient 67.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three, and 61.8 percent from the line.
In addition to his NBA action, Jones also saw time with the Stockton Kings in the G League, where he made a strong impact. Across 11 regular season games, he averaged 20.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free-throw line.