NBA free agency: Sacramento Kings re-sign one free agent and part ways with three others

The Sacramento Kings re-signed one of their own free agents while partying ways with three others on the first day of the NBA’s free agency period.

Sources told The Athletic the Kings reached an agreement on a new one-year, $3.3 million contract with Alex Len, a 31-year-old center who has served as the primary backup to Domantas Sabonis.

Meanwhile, a league source told The Sacramento Bee, the Kings declined to extend qualifying offers to former Folsom High School star Jordan Ford, Jalen Slawson and Kessler Edwards, making each of them unrestricted free agents. These moves came after the Kings selected Providence guard Devin Carter with the No. 13 pick in the draft and traded Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov and two second-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for Jalen McDaniels.

The NBA announced the salary cap for the 2024-25 season has been set at $140,588,000 with the luxury tax line set at $170,814,000. The first luxury tax apron is $178,132,000 and the second apron is $188,931,000. Teams that go above the first apron are prohibited from making certain moves while teams that go above the second apron face even more restrictions.

Elsewhere in the NBA, according to various reports:

▪ LeBron James declined his player option but was expected to re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.

▪ James Harden agreed to a two-year, $70 million deal with remain with the Los Angeles Clippers.

▪ Chris Paul was waived by the Golden State Warriors.

▪ Klay Thompson was expected to leave the Warriors via a sign-and-trade deal.

▪ Paul George was planning to meet with the Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic.

Len, a 7-foot, 250-pound center from Ukraine, first came to Sacramento in the February 2020 trade that sent Dewayne Dedmon to the Atlanta Hawks. Len has spent the past three seasons with the Kings after returning to Sacramento in August 2021.

Len has appeared in 128 games for the Kings, averaging 3.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 11.3 minutes per game. He averaged 2.5 rebounds, 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 9.3 minutes per game last season.

The Kings acquired Edwards, a 6-7 small forward, in a February 2023 trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Edwards, 23, averaged 3.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.5 steals in 13.9 minutes per game in 2022-23 before his role was reduced last season.

The Kings selected Slawson, 24, with the 54th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. The 6-7 forward appeared in 12 games while playing on a two-way contract last season, averaging 0.7 points and 0.6 rebounds in 3.1 minutes per game.

Ford, 26, was a two-time Sacramento Bee Player of the Year at Folsom before going on to Saint Mary’s, where he became a two-time first-team All-West Coast Conference selection. The 6-1 guard made his way to the NBA after coming out of Saint Mary’s as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

Ford spent the 2022-23 season with the G League Stockton Kings and stayed with the Kings organization on a two-way contract in 2023-24. He appeared in six games for the Kings last season, averaging 2.0 points in 3.7 minutes per game.

The Kings have signed Louisiana Tech forward Isaiah Crawford and Washington State center Isaac Jones to two-way contracts for the 2024-25 season. They also have guard Mason Jones on a two-way contract.