Source: Sacramento Kings waive former UC Davis star Chima Moneke, opening roster spot
The Kings created an open roster spot Friday when they released former UC Davis star Chima Moneke.
Moneke was waived four days before his $1 million salary was set to become fully guaranteed, a league source told The Sacramento Bee, confirming a report from ESPN 1320’s James Ham. Sacramento’s roster now stands at 14.
The move gives the Kings (20-17) some roster flexibility moving forward as they look to solidify themselves as playoff contenders. The window for teams to sign free agents to 10-day contracts opened Thursday. The Kings could also use the roster spot to take back more players than they send out in a potential trade.
Sacramento signed Moneke to a standard NBA contract in July, but he spent most of his time with the G League Stockton Kings. The 6-foot-6, 223-pound forward appeared in 16 games for Stockton, averaging 17.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals.
Moneke appeared in only two games for Sacramento. He had two rebounds and one assist in six minutes in a 125-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 27. He had two points in two minutes in a 130-112 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 17.
Moneke earned All-Big West Conference honorable mention at UC Davis in 2017-18. He went undrafted in 2018 after averaging 18.3 points and 9.6 rebounds while shooting 51.3% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range.
Moneke played professionally in France and Spain before the Kings gave him his first break in the NBA. He was also a member of the Nigerian national team, which was led by Kings coach Mike Brown.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 5:05 PM.
