Sacramento Kings Officially Sign Maxime Raynaud

While NBA free agency rages on and the Sacramento Kings looks for pieces to assemble a playoff roster, they also officially locked up second-round pick Maxime Raynaud out of Stanford. The Kings signed Raynaud to a three-year deal worth $5.95 million, according to Senior NBA Insider Michael Scotto.

There will be a press conference to introduce both first-rounder Nique Clifford and Raynud at Golden 1 Center on Thursday. Typically second rounders sign for little or no guaranteed money, and while Raynaud's $5.95 million isn't going to break the bank, it's still roughly in line with some veterans that are on the team.

In an article published over at Sports Illustrated, they were estimating this year's No. 30 overall selection, Yanic Konan Niederhauser to the Los Angeles Clippers to make about $2.74 million thanks to the rookie pay scale on Spotrac. Raynaud's estimated to be making $2.15 million in this contract in his first year, though he was selected No. 42 overall, so even though he fell in the draft, the pay isn't too far off.

Raynaud's former head coach believes that he can be a stretch-five as a rookie with the Kings, and has the potential to be a starter in the NBA in the near future.

The Kings also appear to be high on Raynaud, having already agreed to trade Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Dario Saric, while bringing in another veteran backup center in Drew Eubanks. If Raynaud is up to the task, neither player should stand in his way in the rotation. In fact, there are already rumors that Saric could be flipped in another deal.

With Raynaud's athleticism and size, he should be a good fit for Sacramento, and give them some added versatility to the roster. Meanwhile, having Domantas Sabonis ahead of him on the depth chart will provide a bit of cushion for Raynaud to be able to ease in a little bit and get his feet wet in the Association.

Both Saric and Eubanks are set to be unrestricted free agents following the 2025-26 season according to Spotrac, which could serve as Raynaud's real chance to make an impact on the roster. The early portion 2025-26 season will likely be about getting him some minutes, having him work on some skills that they would like to see improved, and getting him ready for later in the season.

The contract that the Kings have agreed to with Raynaud certainly shows that the franchise has some belief in his ability moving forward. How much playing time they initially give him is going to be interesting to find out, and could be an indicator of just how high on him they are.

We should also find out what number he plans to wear in the NBA at tomorrow's press conference. He donned the No. 42 at Stanford, the same number that he was drafted at, so it would stand to reason that he'd stick with that. No member of the Kings roster has claimed that number yet.