Feb 6, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward De'Andre Hunter (15) reacts after scoring during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Kings Announce Unfortunate De'Andre Hunter Medical Update

Originally posted on Sacramento Kings on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Feb 9, 2026 11:30 AM ET

The Sacramento Kings made one move at the NBA trade deadline, which was acquiring De'Andre Hunter from the Cleveland Cavaliers while sending out Keon Ellis, Dennis Schroder, and Dario Saric. However, in just his second game in a Kings uniform, Hunter went down with an injury.

Hunter was hit in the face in the Kings' matchup against the LA Clippers on Friday, which caused him to leave the game and not return with an eye injury.

On Sunday, the Kings announced that Hunter was diagnosed with iritis in his left eye and will be reevaluated in ten days.

"Sacramento Kings forward De'Andre Hunter has been diagnosed with iritis in his left eye after exiting the game with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter on Friday, February 6 versus the Los Angeles Clippers. Hunter will be reevaluated in approximately 10 days," the Kings released.

De’Andre Hunter medical update. He’ll be out until after the All-Star break at a minimum with an eye injury: pic.twitter.com/3KLHauFIr5
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) February 8, 2026

Kings will be without Hunter through All-Star break

With Hunter's eye diagnosis expected to sideline him for at least ten days, it will hold him out through the All-Star break. The Kings have had poor injury luck this season, as they have yet to see their lineup at full strength, and Hunter sustaining this eye injury in just his second game with the team is far from ideal.

Luckily, the Kings have just two more games until the All-Star break, including Monday's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans and Wednesday's against the Utah Jazz, giving Sacramento two winnable games regardless of who is on the floor.

In his Kings debut, Hunter dropped nine points and two rebounds on 3-11 shooting from the field and 2-4 from three-point range. This was not too impressive of a debut, and things managed to get worse in his second game. Before leaving with the eye injury, Hunter dropped six points and one rebound, shooting just 1-8 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc.

De'Andre Hunter (eye) won't return Friday for Clippers-Kings after being poked in the eye, the team announced. pic.twitter.com/CiSA5URBKs
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 7, 2026

Through his first two games with the Kings, Hunter has shot 21.1% from the field and 22.2% from deep. Of course, it has been a very small sample size, but the Kings are relying on Hunter to come out of the All-Star break feeling more comfortable, because as it stands, this deadline move to acquire him is not trending in their favor.

There is a chance that the Kings have all of their players healthy and available once they come out of the All-Star break, including guys like Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis, and Zach LaVine. While injuries are not the reason they have an NBA-worst 12-42 record this season, they certainly have not helped, and it will be interesting to see what the team can do at full strength.

The Kings are traveling to New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Monday, where they have already ruled out Hunter, along with a few other key players.

This article first appeared on Sacramento Kings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: