Cardwell sprained his left ankle at Tuesday's practice and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento reports.
The timing is unfortunate for the rookie with Domantas Sabonis (knee) set to miss the remainder of the season. Based on this timetable, the earliest possible return for Cardwell is March 19. The rookie has been a bright spot for the team, posting 5.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.2 minutes across 29 appearances. Maxime Raynaud should step into a starting role until Cardwell is cleared to play again.
... See More... See Less
Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Gets upgraded from two-way deal
Rotowire
Cardwell agreed Thursday with the Kings on a four-year contract, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
As expected, the Kings ended up upgrading Cardwell from his two-way deal after the undrafted rookie out of Auburn had played his way into a regular spot in the NBA rotation. According to Charania, the first two seasons of Cardwell's deal will be fully guaranteed. While appearing in each of Sacramento's last 16 games, Cardwell has averaged 5.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.2 assists and 0.5 steals in 21.3 minutes per contest.
... See More... See Less
Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Secures double-double off bench
Rotowire
Cardwell recorded 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal across 26 minutes before fouling out of Sunday's 117-110 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Cardwell collected his first double-double of the 2025-26 campaign and saw plenty of chances with the Kings still working Domantas Sabonis back from a knee injury. This marks Cardwell's second time this year that he's reached double-digit rebounds and his third time scoring 10-plus points, though these chances are expected to dwindle once Sabonis begins to ramp up his workload.
Cardwell ended Sunday's 111-98 win over the Rockets with nine points (4-11 FG, 1-4 FT), 11 rebounds and one assist across 19 minutes.
Despite coming off the bench, the rookie big man flirted with what could've been his first career double-double. The door remains open for Caldwell to play meaningful minutes, with Domantas Sabonis (knee) still out, but Caldwell also has Precious Achiuwa and Drew Eubanks as competitors for playing time behind Maxime Raynaud.
... See More... See Less
Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Starting Saturday
Rotowire
Cardwell will start in Saturday's game against the Bucks, Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento reports.
The rookie big man will get the starting nod for the first time in his career, pushing Russell Westbrook to the bench. Over two regular-season appearances, Cardwell has averaged 1.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals in 13.5 minutes per game.
... See More... See Less
Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Comes to terms with Kings
Rotowire
Cardwell agreed to a two-way contract with Sacramento on Thursday, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Cardwell is known for his ability to finish at the rim, converting on 70.0 percent of his field-goal attempts during his final season at Auburn while also averaging 2.5 offensive rebounds over 38 games. He works just as hard on the defensive end, as shown by 1.4 swats per matchup during the 2024-25 campaign.