Kings' Rookies Shine in Sacramento's Narrow Loss to Cleveland

The 2026 NBA trade deadline brough a number of changes to the league.

Multiple teams signaled their intentions of moving into a full rebuild and looking to improve their draft odds, while others were in search of ways to reach championship contention. A handful of these moves will give members of the 2025 class more opportunity on the floor during the back half of their rookie seasons.

The Sacramento Kings seemingly took this route, as the team moved on from Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. Without Schroder and Ellis in the rotation, rookie Nique Clifford received increased minutes on Saturday as the Kings welcomed Schroder and Ellis back to the Golden 1 Center.

Clifford made the most of his opportunity, finishing with 30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks while shooting 12-of-19 from the field, 5-of-9 from 3-point range and 1-of-2 from the free throw line.

Despite the rookie's heroics, Sacramento fell 132-126 to the new-look Cavaliers, who received 58 combined points from Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.

The loss helps the Kings maintain the best lottery odds in the 2026 draft, which land the team an elite prospect in the upcoming class. Additionally, an emergence from Clifford down the stretch would be encouraging as the first-round pick heads into his second season.

After being selected No. 24 overall in 2025, Clifford is averaging 6.5 points, 3 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 41.7% from the field and 33.6% from deep in 20.6 minutes per game. If the 23-year-old is finally finding his stride, he could be a solid piece for the Kings moving forward.

Alongside Clifford, rookie big men Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell also had solid performances against Cleveland. Raynaud shot 5-of-8 from the field and tallied 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals while Cardwell shot 6-of-9 and notched 12 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal, a block and just one turnover.

Raynaud, who was drafted No. 42 overall in the 2025 class, has started 28 games this season and is averaging 9.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and an assist per game, shooting 55.4% from the field. After going undrafted, Cardwell recently signed a four-year contract with the Kings.

In his rookie season, the Auburn product is averaging 5.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 60.8% from the field.

The Kings having seemingly found three solid players to build with in the 2025 draft class, and could bolster the team's young core in the 2026 draft.

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