Kings forward De’Andre Hunter will miss the remainder of the season after deciding to undergo eye surgery, according to NBA insiders Chris Haynes and Marc Stein.
Hunter’s Kings tenure barely had time to begin. Acquired at the trade deadline, he suffered an eye injury in just his second game with Sacramento and was diagnosed with left-eye iritis.
He missed the final three games before the All-Star break, practiced in full Wednesday, then was ruled out again Thursday. Now comes the final verdict.
Season over.
That makes Hunter the third high-salary King done for the year, joining Domantas Sabonis (knee surgery) and Zach LaVine (hand surgery). Sacramento is 12-45, riding a 15-game losing streak, and firmly planted at the bottom of the league.
Hunter, 28, appeared in 45 games this season and averaged 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting just 30.5 percent from three.
He earns $23.3 million this season and is under contract for $24.9 million in 2026-27.
The Kings will soon qualify for a hardship exception, per cap expert Yossi Gozlan, with Hunter, Sabonis, LaVine, and Dylan Cardwell all sidelined long term. They also have open standard and two-way roster spots.
Not that any of it fixes the bigger picture. This season was lost long ago.
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