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USATSI

JaVale McGee is signing with the Sacramento Kings, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. McGee, a three-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, spent last season with the Dallas Mavericks after signing there as a free agent in 2021. However, a disappointing season saw him go from opening night starter to out of the rotation, and Dallas ultimately decided to waive him with two years left on his contract.

Ironically, McGee will be replacing the player in Sacramento that ultimately made him redundant in Dallas. The Mavericks traded for Kings center Richaun Holmes on draft night. With Holmes, Grant Williams and rookie Dereck Lively II in the fold, they had no need for McGee following his underwhelming season. Now he will fill the backup center slot in Sacramento that previously belonged to Holmes.

Of course, he'll have competition for minutes in Sacramento's front court. The Kings still have Alex Len, who played well in brief stints in Sacramento's first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors. They also got deeper at forward this offseason by signing EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov, so minutes behind both starting center Domantas Sabonis and forwards Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray will be hard to come by.

Still, the risk here is relatively minimal. McGee played well for Phoenix during the 2021-22 season, and his time with the Lakers and Warriors proved he could contribute to championship-caliber teams. At the age of 35, McGee is nearing the end of his NBA career but the Kings are betting he still has a little bit left to give with training camp approaching.