The Kings are signing veteran free agent center Mason Plumlee, a move that gives them another experienced option in the middle as they try to steady a 1-10 start and deal with clear big man depth issues.
Plumlee, a 36-year-old seven-footer, arrives with a long NBA resume and a recent track record that should at least help Sacramento absorb minutes. The Kings have already been forced to improvise because of injuries to Ben Simmons and Keegan Murray, with Precious Achiuwa pushed into power forward duty and Maxime Raynaud yet to play because of right patellar subluxation.
What Plumlee has brought recently
In the 2024/25 season, Plumlee played for the Suns and appeared in 74 games with 21 starts, averaging 4.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game. That was a far more substantial role than the one he had last season, when he split time between the Hornets and Spurs and averaged 1.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game.
For Sacramento, the appeal is straightforward. This is not about asking Plumlee to transform the team, but about giving them a reliable body who can help with size, physicality and simple responsibilities around the rim. With the season already drifting early, that kind of reinforcement matters.
Why the Kings needed another center
The Kings have been stretched thin by injuries and by the need to use players out of their preferred roles. That has left them exposed in the frontcourt, where every absence has made the rotation thinner and the margin for error smaller.
Plumlee’s arrival does not solve every issue, but it does address one of the most obvious ones. A team that has spent too much of the opening stretch patching holes now gets another veteran center, and that at least gives them a better chance of finding some stability as the season moves on.
