Sacramento Kings finalize free-agent signing of KZ Okpala. Which players remain unsigned?
The Kings are putting the finishing touches on their roster with training camp set to begin in less than two weeks.
General manager Monte McNair announced the Kings have finalized the free-agent signing of KZ Okpala, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward who spent his first three NBA seasons with the Miami Heat. The Kings reached an agreement on a two-year deal with Okpala on July 15, sources told The Sacramento Bee, but the contract wasn’t completed until Wednesday.
Earlier this week, a league source told The Bee the signings of Okpala and guard Quinn Cook had not been finalized. The source said both players were still expected at training camp Sept. 27 while noting things could change given the fluid nature of roster decisions this time of year.
The Okpala signing is now official, but there has been no formal announcement regarding Cook. The Kings have also yet to announce the signings of Matthew Dellavedova, Kent Bazemore and Sam Merrill, although the Dellavedova signing was confirmed via the team’s social media channels. Dellavedova reportedly signed a one-year, $2.63 million deal. Merrill reportedly received a two-year, $3.8 million deal with $150,000 guaranteed.
The only signings the Kings have officially announced this summer are Malik Monk (two years, $19.4 million); rookie Keegan Murray (four years, $36.4 million); Chima Moneke (two years, $2.7 million); D.J. Steward, who has since been waived; and, now, Okpala.
Okpala, 23, came out of Stanford as the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. He started his career with the Heat, which acquired him in a draft day trade with the Phoenix Suns.
Okpala averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game over his first three seasons with Miami. He appeared in 21 games last season, averaging 3.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists while shooting 34.6% from 3-point range.
Okpala is already well acquainted with Kings coach Mike Brown, assistant coaches Jordi Fernandez and Luke Loucks and new teammate Chimezie Metu from their time together with the Nigerian national team. Brown coached the team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Okpala will likely find himself fighting for one of the team’s final roster spots and an opportunity to earn a backup role. He has logged most of his NBA minutes at power forward, but the Kings believe he can defend multiple positions.
Brown, who spent the past six seasons as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, had high praise for Okpala when they worked together with the Nigerian national team. Brown told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he believes Okpala could become a defensive stopper in the NBA.
“KZ is a remarkable talent, and these are high expectations, but the short time that I’ve had him, he could be a Defensive Player of the Year type candidate once he figures some things out to get consistent minutes on the floor,” Brown said.
“His length, his athleticism, his size, his strength, his want to play defense and be great at it, is off the charts, and I’ve been around some very good defenders. … I’m excited that he’s here. We’re going to try to use him in a way that is a little bit unique. We’re going to use him similar to how we do Draymond Green a little bit in Golden State, where he’ll guard everybody at different times, but his potential on that side of the ball is remarkable.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
