‘Mutual love’: Richaun Holmes felt Sacramento fan support during contract talks with Kings
Kings center Richaun Holmes has connected with fans on a deep level since coming to Sacramento two years ago.
Holmes made it clear he wanted to stay when he became a free agent over the summer. Kings fans made it clear they wanted him back.
“It was love, man,” Holmes said. “Sacramento, the love they’ve shown since before I even signed here the first time, they have always shown love, always been in my corner. I got a chance to play for them over these last two years and they made it known. They made it known they wanted me back, made it known how much they loved me, how much they wanted me here, and that meant a lot.”
Kings general manager Monte McNair signed Holmes to a new four-year, $46.5 million deal in August. Holmes said he wanted to stay in Sacramento and had little doubt he would return after enjoying two career years with the Kings.
“They came out of the gate and they showed the love from the beginning, so it was always a mutual love here and we just expanded upon it,” Holmes said. “We were able to get it done pretty quickly and I’m happy to be back here.”
The Kings brought Holmes in to fill a backup role in 2019, but he quickly established himself as the starter. He averaged career highs of 12.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 assists in 2019-20. He improved on those numbers last season, averaging 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.7 assists.
“He’s a big part of what we do,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “He really embodies what we talk about when we talk about how we want to play Kings basketball, with the effort, the selflessness, and really the grit and toughness he plays with.
“He’s always kind of been pushed to the side with every opportunity he’s had before here, and even when we signed him, it wasn’t initially as our starter, and he worked and earned his way up there. He’s got a great relationship with his teammates. He’s earned everything he’s got and that’s the type of person we want in our organization.”
Holmes, 27, said he wants to continue to improve for years to come.
“There’s just so much more work I can put in, so much more I can show, and I’m looking forward to getting better every year,” he said.
Walton likes what he has seen from Holmes over the first two days of training camp.
“He did a really nice job today on his screen-setting,” Walton said Wednesday. “We’ve talked a lot about really running into screens and creating that contact for our guards, and today he did a great job on that.”
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox said he’s happy to have Holmes back, too.
“It’s been great,” Fox said. “Since camp has started, Richaun is doing what he does, blocking shots, flying around, catching lobs. He’s doing what we’re expecting him to do.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
