Maxime Raynaud Leaves Kings-Warriors Game With Concerning Knee Injury

The Sacramento Kings' third preseason game was off to a much better start than the first two contests against the Los Angeles Lakers. Ben Simmons was looking good in his debut, Darius Acuff Jr. was impressing again, and you could see the vision of the Kings roster with more players active in their third game of the exhibition season.

But then sophomore center Maxime Raynaud went to set a screen for Acuff, and as Stephen Curry went to fight through the screen, he went down with an injury.

Maxime Raynaud With A Knee Injury, That’s Not What You Want To See.

Get Well Soon. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/lQ6NJwKwWB
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 11, 2026

Raynaud was having his best game of the preseason so far, which isn't saying much, but he was finally looking like the player who earned all-rookie honors last season after a slow start so far. The Frenchman had 10 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, and a block on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, including making his lone three-point attempt.

Last season, Raynaud finished with 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 57.1% from the field and 32.4% from three, which earned him All-Rookie second team honors. He was due for a large role in the rotation either next to Domantas Sabonis in the starting lineup or as his primary backup off the bench.

Wheeled Off

Raynaud had to be wheeled off the court in a wheelchair, which isn't a great sign for him or the Kings. The second-year player is a huge part of Sacramento's rebuild. Acuff may be the future star, but Raynaud showed last season that he's at least a rotational player who could turn into a star with his size, skill, and shooting at the center position.

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

We'll have to wait for more updates, but it certainly doesn't look good. Raynaud was later officially ruled out once the second half of the game got underway.

If there's a silver lining, it's that the Kings have great depth at the center position. It was actually one of their biggest question marks heading into the year, as Doug Christie was going to have to juggle Raynaud, Domantas Sabonis, Dylan Cardwell, Precious Achiuwa, and even Jonathan Mogbo at the center spot.

Raynaud's injury will likely lead to more minutes for fellow second-year big Cardwell and create an opportunity for Mogbo (two-way) to get on the floor and work towards a standard contract. Whatever the injury ends up being, expect the Kings to take their time to get Raynaud back on the court, as they are currently in place to compete in a playoff run.

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