Sources: Kings bring free agent big man Alex Len back to Sacramento on new two-year deal
Alex Len has already proven he can add size, strength and toughness to the Kings’ frontcourt. Now, the Ukrainian big man is coming back to do it again.
Len is returning to Sacramento after agreeing to a two-year, $7.65 million deal with the Kings on Monday, league sources told The Sacramento Bee, confirming a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Len, a 28-year-old center listed at 7 feet tall and 250 pounds, spent part of the 2019-20 season with the Kings. He appeared in only 15 games for the Kings but quickly established himself as an imposing defensive presence, averaging 5.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 15.0 minutes per game.
Len came out of Maryland as the No. 5 pick in the 2013 NBA draft. He spent five seasons with the Phoenix Suns and two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before the Kings acquired him and Jabari Parker in a trade that sent Dewayne Dedmon and two second-round picks to the Hawks.
Len signed with the Toronto Raptors prior to the 2020-21 season, but he appeared in only seven games before he was waived. He signed with the Washington Wizards in January and made strong contributions to their playoff run, averaging 7.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 15.8 minutes per game. He appeared in 57 games for the Wizards, including 40 starts.
Len has started 228 games in his eight-year NBA career. He returns to Sacramento days after the Kings drafted center Neemias Queta and agreed to acquire Tristan Thompson in a three-team deal involving the Hawks and Boston Celtics, although that deals has not been finalized.
Len, Thompson and Queta give Sacramento some positional depth in case Richaun Holmes leaves in free agency, but there’s still a chance Holmes will return. Holmes was the primary focus in Sacramento as free agency began at 3 p.m. Monday, but there was no immediate news on his future.
The most the Kings can offer Holmes using his Early Bird Rights would be a four-year deal worth about $50 million. Holmes is believed to be seeking closer to $20 million per year, but it remains to be seen whether he will command those kinds of offers. The Kings don’t have enough salary cap space to make an offer in that range unless they can free up money in a deal involving Marvin Bagley III, Buddy Hield or Harrison Barnes.
This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 6:28 PM.
