Kings Announce Injury Update for Maxime Raynaud: What's Next for Sacramento?

The Sacramento Kings were taken down by the Golden State Warriors in a preseason match on Saturday night. While there were still some positives, like Darius Acuff Jr.'s 25 points or Ben Simmons's debut, one moment clouded the night. Kings standout sophomore Maxime Raynaud went down with a scary knee injury, and he ultimately had to be wheelchaired to the locker room.

Unfortunately, the Kings will now be without Raynaud for the near future. On Sunday, the team announced that an MRI revealed a right patellar subluxation in Raynaud's right knee, and the 23-year-old big man will be reevaluated in two weeks.

The Kings give an update on Max Raynaud. MRI revealed a right patellar subluxation. He will be reevaluated in 2 weeks. pic.twitter.com/69CNCaAky9
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) October 11, 2026

"Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud, who exited Saturday night's preseason game against the Golden State Warriors with 2:32 remaining in the second quarter, underwent an MRI of his right knee. Imaging revealed a right patellar subluxation. Raynaud will be reevaluated in approximately two weeks and further updates will be provided as appropriate."

This means that Raynaud will miss at least the next two weeks, but depending on how his recovery goes, he could be sidelined for longer. Even if he is only sidelined for two weeks, though, he is set to miss the first three games of the regular season.

How this hurts the Kings

Obviously, this is now what the Kings wanted to see, but they can at least be relieved that the injury was not as bad as everyone initially feared.

Maxime Raynuad went down and was clearly in a lot of pain.

They brought out a wheelchair for him. pic.twitter.com/ozJde7CwJS
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 11, 2026

With Raynaud sidelined, the Kings will be missing their preferred backup center. Fortunately, they still have Dylan Cardwell off the bench, but they will miss Raynaud's offensive presence. The 7-foot Frenchman has an extremely valuable offensive skill set and was showcasing what he is capable of in the preseason.

Before suffering a knee injury late in the second quarter of Saturday's game, Raynaud tallied ten points and five rebounds on perfect 3-3 shooting in just nine minutes of action. After putting on 20 pounds this offseason and getting some valuable work in with the French national team, it became no secret that he was due for a big season.

The Kings can hope that Raynaud has a speedy recovery and that this injury does not chip into his sophomore season too much.

Who steps up in his absence?

The good news for the Kings is that they will not be completely lost without Raynaud. Cardwell is the Kings' best interior defender, and the increased opportunities could actually help the team's overall defense. They can also lean on Precious Achiuwa to play the center position, as he did in Saturday's preseason game.

The Kings' final two preseason games will certainly put their new center rotation to the test, and they can at least hope that Sabonis is available to help out after missing the team's previous two games.

The Kings are still looking forward to Raynaud's development as the franchise's potential next star center, but this is obviously not the news they would've hoped for heading into a big sophomore season.

Follow us on Facebook and X for the latest Sacramento Kings news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google