Point guard Matthew Dellavedova and forwards KZ Okpala and Chima Moneke have earned spots on the Kings’ final roster ahead of the regular season, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Kings have also waived guard Sam Merrill, the No. 60 overall pick by the Pelicans in 2020. He has spent time with the Bucks and Grizzlies.
Dellavedova, 31, did not play in the NBA last season, instead spending the year with Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League. He averaged 10.3 points and 4.8 assists, shooting 39 percent from the field.
His last NBA season with the Cavs didn’t go so well, as he appeared in just 13 games in 2020-21, suffering an array of injuries, including a concussion and whiplash. He also underwent an emergency appendectomy.
Dellavedova was a member of the Cavs’ 2016 championship team and carries NBA career averages of 5.5 points and 3.7 assists.
He played for new Kings coach Mike Brown when the two were with the Cavs during the 2013-14 season.
“Mike Brown loves him. I have a feeling they might bring him in,” former NBA center Andrew Bogut said recently. “They need someone that’s a pro every day. Harrison Barnes is that guy, but it would help to have another guy like that in the locker room with the young guys.”
Okpala, 23, is 6-foot-8 and has spent all three years of his NBA career with the Heat, including last season, when he appeared in 21 games. He was traded to the Thunder in February and then waived shortly thereafter.
Moneke, 26, is 6-foot-6 and spent his first four pro seasons in Spain and France. He played for Brown with the Nigerian national team.
“On the morning of the Champions League final, I woke up, and there was one missed call from the night. It was Mike,” Moneke said, via Basket News. “I called him back, and he told me he would be the Kings coach and wanted me to be a part of it. It was surreal to hear that.”
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