The Sacramento Kings have ruled rookie and first-round draft pick Devin Carter out of the upcoming California Classic due to an injury to his left shoulder.
A league source told The Sacramento Bee that the Kings decided to hold Carter out of summer league competition while the team continues to medically evaluate his injury. Carter will also miss the Las Vegas Summer League from July 12-22.
The Kings and Golden State Warriors are co-hosting an expanded California Classic at two sites. Games will be played Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Additional games are scheduled for Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets and the Chinese national team will take part in the games in Sacramento. The Kings, Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat will take part in the games in San Francisco.
The winner of Wednesday’s game between the Kings and Warriors at Chase Center – the inaugural Battle of NorCal – will receive the inaugural Mitch Richmond Trophy. The trophy is named after the Hall of Fame player who spent 10 of his 14 NBA seasons with the Kings and Warriors.
The Kings selected Carter from Providence with the No. 13 overall pick in last week’s NBA draft. The 22-year-old guard is 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan and is known for his defense. He was named Big East Conference Player of the Year after averaging 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 47.3% from the field and 37.7% of his 3-pointers on 6.9 attempts per game.
On draft night, Kings general manager Monte McNair confirmed that Carter was suffering from an unspecified shoulder injury. On Tuesday, McNair said Carter would meet with the team’s medical staff this week to determine “the best course of action.”
McNair said Carter’s status for the summer league is still uncertain, but “long-term, we are very optimistic about Devin’s prospects.”
Carter told The Bee that he injured his shoulder during pre-draft training, but offered few other details.
“I was just playing basketball,” he said. “Just an accident.”
When asked if he was in any pain or discomfort, Carter said, “I’m fine. I just want to get the team doctor’s opinion and then move on. I would like to play in the summer league, but we don’t know anything specific about that yet.”
