Former top-10 pick gets 2-year Kings contract

Story by

David Yapkowitz, ClutchPoints

Sun, Mar 15, 2026 ·

1 min read

Former top-10 pick gets 2-year Kings contract appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Sacramento Kings have been slogging through another disappointing season, and with a handful of games remaining, the name of the game is identifying young talent to build with. The Kings opted to fill their final roster spot with a young player with potential in signing Killian Hayes to a two-year contract, as per Shams Charania of ESPN.

Killian Hayes had signed consecutive 10-day contracts with the Kings before agreeing to the two-year deal. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Hayes gets another chance at trying to become an impact player in the league.

After playing a little over three years with the Detroit Pistons , Hayes was cut by the team in the midst of the 2023-24 season. He found himself out of the NBA and in the G League with the Long Island Nets, the affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets . His play with Long Island earned him a 10-day contract, but he was not re-signed after that.

Hayes had been playing in the G League this year with the Cleveland Charge after spending training camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers , when the Kings initially signed him. He’s appeared in 10 games for the Kings, including one start, at a little over 15 minutes per game.

He’s been averaging 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists with splits of 26.9 percent shooting from the field, 20.8 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 83.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line. His best game with the Kings thus far was last Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets when he finished with 11 points and four assists while shooting 5-of-9 from the field.