Mudiay has been out of the NBA since the 2020 bubble.
The Sacramento Kings backcourt continue to add to their backcourt as they signed former lottery pick Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Sacramento Kings are planning to sign free agent guard Emmanuel Mudiay to a 10-day deal, sources tell ESPN. Mudiay had been playing in Europe this season. He’s expected to be available on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 22, 2021
The Kings are missing De’Aaron Fox, Davion Mitchell, and Terence Davis from their backcourt with all three currently sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols. It’s unclear how long the three will be out, but it looks like Mudiay will get some run in their place.
Mudiay’s last full NBA season was in 2019-20 when he was with the Utah Jazz. Up until his signing with Sacramento, Mudiay had been playing with a Lithuanian team, Zalgiris Kaunas this season.
Mudiay is just 25 years old and still possesses that 6 foot 9 wingspan and athletic ability that convinced the Denver Nuggets to select him with the No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft. Mudiay was given ample opportunity in Denver for his first three seasons in the NBA, but he was unable to develop any kind of consistency with his jump shot and couldn’t be efficient enough in general, with his field goal percentage at just 40.1% for his career.
The Kings have already signed two other guards, Justin Robinson and Ade Murkey to 10-day hardship contracts in less than a week. The Kings have been really reliant on Tyrese Haliburton to run the offense in recent games, without Fox or Mitchell healthy.
Wojnarowski reported that Mudiay is expected to be available in the Kings’ next game on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers in Sacramento.