Sources: Kings waive Jabari Parker, Mfiondu Kabengele after trade deadline acquisitions
The Kings ended the Jabari Parker experiment Thursday when they waived him to make room for players they acquired in a series of moves before the NBA trade deadline.
League sources told The Sacramento Bee the Kings were waiving Parker and Mfiondu Kabengele to get back to the regular-season roster limit of 15. The cuts were necessary after the Kings acquired Delon Wright, Terence Davis, Chris Silva and Maurice Harkless in trades involving Cory Joseph, Nemanja Bjelica and draft compensation.
Parker, 26, came to Sacramento last season in the trade that sent Dewayne Dedmon back to the Atlanta Hawks. The Kings were intrigued by Parker, who came out of Duke as the No. 2 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but injuries and a COVID-19 diagnosis prevented him from establishing a role in coach Luke Walton’s rotation.
Parker appeared in only nine games for the Kings, averaging 6.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game. He had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists against the Los Angeles Lakers in Sacramento’s last game in the NBA bubble last season, but he again failed to earn a role in the rotation this season.
The Kings acquired Kabengele from the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday in an exchange of future second-round draft picks. Those picks are heavily protected and unlikely to convey, sources said.
