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The Sacramento Kings are signing free agent center Mason Plumlee, agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of Priority Sports told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Wednesday. Plumlee, 36, is entering his 14th NBA season, according to the report, which did not include contract terms.
Sacramento is 1-10 after a 107-100 home loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. The Kings have lost four straight since a 115-100 win at Dallas on Nov. 2, and Dylan Cardwell came off the bench for a game-high 12 rebounds against Orlando.
Along with Cardwell, the big men on Kings coach Doug Christie’s roster are Domantas Sabonis and Maxime Raynaud. Raynaud sustained a right patellar subluxation in an Oct. 10 preseason game at Golden State, according to a Kings medical update, and Hoops Rumors’ Eli Cohen noted Wednesday that Raynaud has yet to play this season.
Mason Plumlee Finished Last Season With San Antonio Spurs
The Charlotte Hornets announced Plumlee’s signing July 13, 2025. He appeared in 14 games for Charlotte, including 2 starts, and averaged 1.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 8.9 minutes, Hoops Rumors’ Dana Gauruder reported in February. Plumlee had groin surgery Dec. 31 while with the Hornets, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
On Feb. 4, Charlotte traded Plumlee to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Thunder waived him. The San Antonio Spurs signed him to a 10-day contract Feb. 17, then signed him for the rest of the season Feb. 27, according to the NBA’s transaction log. Charania’s reports on both Spurs deals cited Bartelstein, and the second noted that Plumlee had completed his first 10-day contract.
Two days after the first signing, the Express-News’ Tom Orsborn reported on Plumlee’s status as he worked back from the surgery. “He’s been a smart veteran player on a few different teams,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
On Feb. 25, Plumlee spoke with Orsborn while with the Spurs. “I think I’ve seen guys check in for five minutes and turn a game around,” Plumlee said. “That’s the way I look at it.”
Across 20 games and 3 starts last season, Plumlee averaged 1.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 8.6 minutes, per CBS Sports. A year earlier with the Phoenix Suns, he played 74 games, made 21 starts, and averaged 4.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 17.6 minutes, Cohen wrote.
Mason Plumlee Enters His 14th NBA Season
The Brooklyn Nets drafted Plumlee out of Duke with the No. 22 pick in 2013, the Hornets noted. His Basketball Reference page lists All-Rookie honors in 2013-14 and a fourth-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting.
Since then, he has played for Portland, Denver, Detroit, the LA Clippers, and Phoenix, with two stints in Charlotte before San Antonio. Portland started him in all 82 games in 2015-16, and Denver was his longest stop at 244 regular-season games over four seasons. In 2022-23, he averaged 12.2 points and 9.7 rebounds in 56 starts for Charlotte before a midseason trade to the Clippers.
Through 13 seasons, Plumlee has played 880 regular-season games and started 481 of them, with career averages of 7.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, according to Basketball Reference. He has appeared in 77 playoff games across 8 postseasons, and his brothers, Miles and Marshall Plumlee, also played in the NBA.
Sacramento hosts the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday in an Emirates NBA Cup group game. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. CT, according to the NBA’s schedule, and the Kings host Oklahoma City on Sunday.
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