Kings forward Marvin Bagley III will rejoin team in Phoenix as he nears return from injury
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III is expected to rejoin the team Thursday in Phoenix after being away for four weeks while recovering from a broken hand.
Coach Luke Walton said Bagley will meet up with the team when the Kings (22-33) visit the Phoenix Suns (39-15) on Thursday at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Walton said Bagley will travel with Kings for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks and accompany the team back to Sacramento as he nears a return to action.
Walton provided an update on Bagley’s status prior to Wednesday’s 123-111 loss to the Washington Wizards at Golden 1 Center, saying he “continues to improve.” Walton said Bagley is undergoing daily COVID-19 testing and will not have to be isolated from the rest of the team for any period of time.
“Once we get into Phoenix, he’ll be joining the team from there and flying with us and coming back home after the trip,” Walton said. “He’s doing whatever testing he needs to do there. He’s in constant contact with our medical people and the people out there, so he’ll be back on this trip and then for the remainder of the season.”
Bagley, 22, has been away from the team since fracturing the fourth metacarpal in his left hand in a 122-116 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on March 15. The Kings enjoyed a five-game winning streak after rookie Tyrese Haliburton replaced Bagley in the starting lineup, but they have lost eight in a row since then.
Bagley, who came out of Duke as the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, is averaging 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds. He has appeared in only 112 games over three seasons with the Kings due to a variety of injuries, but he showed signs of improvement while remaining relatively healthy over the first half of the season.
