Kings Secure Fan Favorite on Four-Year Deal

The Sacramento Kings have signed undrafted rookie Dylan Cardwell to a four-year deal.

Jan 21, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Dylan Cardwell (32) celebrates after drawing a foul against the Toronto Raptors during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

It was a quiet day for the Sacramento Kings with the trade deadline, but they did make one substantial move by the end of the afternoon. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Kings officially signed rookie Dylan Cardwell to a standard NBA contract that will take him through the next four years.

The Sacramento Kings are signing rookie center Dylan Cardwell to a four-year deal, agent Corey Marcum tells ESPN. The deal includes two fully guaranteed years. Cardwell has averaged 4.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 20 minutes this season.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2026

Cardwell has been one of the few bright spots for Sacramento this season, if not the best story of the season so far. The undrafted rookie out of Auburn has quickly become a fan favorite in Sacramento with his monstrous blocks on defense and show of emotion and engagement with the crowd.

Dylan Cardwell with a THUNDEROUS chase-down block 😤 pic.twitter.com/RNyvJ5oUaF

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) February 1, 2026

On the season, he's averaging 4.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.7 blocks in 20.0 minutes per game. The numbers don't jump off the page, but when watching the Kings, it's clear that Cardwell has the chance to become an elite defender. He's already the best rim protector they've had in years, and that's after just 25 games.

He's the type of player you can anchor an entire defense around, and Doug Christie seems to be doing just that as the season progresses. Even with fellow rookie big man Maxime Raynaud impressing this season, Cardwell is the big that's closing out games and playing down the stretch more of late.

Offensive Upside Unknown

While Cardwell's defense is well known, the biggest wildcard for him will be his offense. He'll likely never be much of a shooter, but he has the length and athleticism to thrive in the dunker's spot with lobs and cleaning up on the offensive glass.

Feb 1, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Sacramento Kings center Dylan Cardwell (32) dunks during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The biggest question mark is if he'll ever blossom into more of a threat on offense. It doesn't have to be with shooting, but he has room to improve as a screener and roller to the basket. He's a smart player who's already improved early in his career, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him continue to get better on offense throughout the next few years.

Great Deal for Kings

The full details of the deal are still unknown, but this appears to be a great signing for the Kings. At worst, Cardwell looks like a backup big. That's a great archetype of player to have locked up over the next four seasons.

But at best, Cardwell turns into more than a rotational player and is a key part to what the Kings are doing going forward. We'll have to wait to see what happens after the first two guaranteed years, but this feels like a slam dunk for Scott Perry.

And the timing couldn't have been better. The Kings had a relatively quiet trade deadline. They made the one big move to bring in De'Andre Hunter, but were involved in nearly every rumor in the league. That's left a lot of fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. Thankfully, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that a fan favorite in Cardwell is here for the foreseeable future.