‘Best is yet to come’: Kings officially announce re-signing of center Richaun Holmes
Kings general manager Monte McNair called it a great day. Richaun Holmes said the best is yet to come.
As the free agency moratorium ended Friday, the Kings officially announced they have re-signed Holmes. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a league source told The Sacramento Bee that Holmes agreed to a four-year deal worth up to $55 million with a fourth-year player option and a trade kicker.
“This is a great day for Richaun and the entire Kings organization,” McNair said in a news release. “Richaun brings toughness, skill and versatility to the court. His energy is the perfect fit for our style of play and he represents the values of this organization. I’m excited to see what the future holds for him and this tremendously talented team we’re building.”
Holmes thanked McNair and Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, saying he hopes to help the organization end its 15-year playoff drought.
“I am thankful to Vivek and Monte for this opportunity to continue my career in Sacramento. I’ve played some of my best basketball in Sacramento but the best is yet to come. I look forward to continuing to push towards the playoffs and beyond.”
The Kings signed Holmes as a backup center in 2019, but he quickly established himself as the starter. He is coming off the two best years of his career after averaging career highs of 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 blocks last season.
The Kings announced Holmes’ signing a day after announcing they had signed rookie first-round draft pick Davion Mitchell. Mitchell, the No. 9 pick in last week’s NBA draft, helped Baylor win its first national championship last season, averaging 14.0 points, 5.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 steals during his junior season.
“We are thrilled to welcome Davion to the Kings family,” McNair said. “His ability to score, facilitate and defend, combined with great character, elite work ethic and competitive makeup, represents exactly what we will continue to build in Sacramento.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 12:58 PM.
