Keon Ellis' Limited Cleveland Role Rewrites Kings 2025-26 Season Story

The Sacramento Kings had a disappointing 2025-26 season for a multitude of reasons, but near or at the top of the list was how they handled Keon Ellis' situation from the offseason to the trade deadline.

Coming into last offseason, Scott Perry and the Kings didn't have many young players or stars to build around, but they had the duo of Keegan Murray and Ellis, who looked like two main rotational staples for years to come. While the jury is still out for Murray after an injury-riddled season, Ellis was traded at the deadline to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the trade deadline along with Dennis Schröder for De'Andre Hunter.

The Kings had the ability to lock up Ellis long-term by declining his team option and making him a restricted free agent, which would have essentially locked up his long-term future in Sacramento. But instead, they picked up his option, and he played the year on his $2.3 million contract.

That reportedly fractured the relationship between him and the Kings, and along with his lack of minutes, it became clear that Ellis would not be resigning with Sacramento this offseason. The Kings made the smart move to trade him while they could get something in return for the highly coveted three-and-D guard, much to the dismay of many around Sacramento.

Ellis was a fan favorite for the Kings. Fans fell in love with his hustle, energy, and defense as he worked his way up from a two-way contract to a full-time NBA deal. But he was never able to fully crack the rotation, even this year under Doug Christie. For whatever reason, Ellis didn't get the minutes many thought he deserved.

Ellis' Limited Role

May 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles defended by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Keon Ellis (14) in the second half during game one of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Looking at his time in Cleveland, more of the same can be said. In 29 regular-season games with the Cavaliers, Ellis averaged 24.8 minutes per game. That would be a career-high in minutes per contest for Ellis, but it's still less than many fans in Sacramento wanted for their favorite player. And in the playoffs, Ellis is averaging just 6.6 minutes per contest across 11 games. He's also received five DNPs throughout the postseason so far.

Obviously, rotations shrink in the playoffs as stars play more and more minutes. It's not surprising that Ellis isn't getting as many minutes as he did in the regular season, but it is a surprise that he's seemingly fallen out of the rotation.

The Cavaliers have a similar roster build to the Kings. They are a guard-heavy team with Ellis having to compete with many on the roster for minutes. What stands out is that his former fellow King, Dennis Schröder, is clearly the more coveted player in Celeveland.

Schröder is averaging 16.4 minutes per game in the postseason and has appeared in all 16 games the Cavs have played. The discourse of the trade was that the Kings had to include Ellis in order to dump Schröder's contract, but the minutes and role of the two guards don't match that sentiment.

The Kings could have handled Ellis' situation better and potentially locked him up long-term, but the fear of him going somewhere else and being the difference maker for a playoff team that many Kings fans feared just hasn't come to fruition. None of this changes that the Kings' 2025-26 season wasn't a disappointment, but it does rewrite history, at least a little, for Sacramento's moves over the last year.

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