


Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter is well aware that his name has been discussed in trade talks for Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.
Carter addressed the trade rumors for the first time Monday after Sacramento’s summer league team held its first practice at Golden 1 Center.
Asked how he is processing the speculation and uncertainty, Carter mentioned his father, Anthony Carter, who spent 12 years in the NBA with the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.
“My pops played for 13 years,” Carter said. “He’s been traded a lot. I just talk to him about how he handled it. That will stay between us, what me and my pops be talking about, but I just come in to work every day, obviously thankful for the opportunity to be here, show up with a ready-to-work mentality all the time, and it is what it is. It’s a business.”
Sources told The Sacramento Bee the Kings have pitched the idea of a trade that would send Carter, Dario Saric and two second-round draft picks to Golden State for Kuminga, a 22-year-old forward. The Warriors balked at that proposal, with sources saying they want a good young player and a first-round pick, but they might want to watch Carter closely in Las Vegas.
The Kings will play the first of five games when they face the Orlando Magic in their summer league opener Thursday at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion. Carter is expected to serve as the primary point guard on a team that will also feature rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford and second-round pick Maxime Raynaud.
The Kings selected Carter out of Providence with the 13th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. He suffered a torn left labrum during a workout prior to the draft, forcing him to miss summer league, training camp and the first 38 games of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in July.
Carter appeared in only 36 games, averaging 3.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.6 steals in 11.0 minutes per contest. His per 36 averages — 12.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals — demonstrate how well he rebounds and defends as a 6-foot-2 guard with a 6-8 3/4 wingspan.
Carter said he is in good health and eager to test himself against summer league competition.
“It’s a big opportunity,” Carter said. “I missed summer league last year, missed the first 30 games, missed a lot of practices, so it was just a rough first year, I guess you could say, from an injury standpoint and just an availability standpoint, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Kings summer league coach Dipesh Mistry said he was impressed with the way Carter carried himself in Monday’s practice.
“I really enjoyed Devin’s leadership,” Mistry said. “I know he’s played a limited amount of games, but he’s been working hard in the summer every day he’s been in here, and I just liked how he controlled this team. That’s what really kind of shocked me, and not just his play, but his leadership for the team.”
Mistry confirmed that Carter will serve as a primary ballhandler in summer league.
“Yes, I want him to handle the ball,” Mistry said.