Kings Standout Rookie Set to Miss Four Weeks With Injury

The hits just keep coming. In what can safely be considered a lost season (aside from lottery positioning), one of the few bright spots of this Kings season is now sidelined for at least a month. Dylan Cardwell reportedly suffered an ankle injury on Tuesday and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

"Center Dylan Cardwell underwent an MRI of his left ankle yesterday. Imaging revealed a moderate left ankle sprain. Cardwell will be reevaluated in four weeks," the Kings announced on Wednesday.

Kings make Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Dylan Cardwell injuries official: pic.twitter.com/PJQHigjiQq
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) February 19, 2026

This news comes after other massive injury news for Kings All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine. Sabonis will miss the rest of the season to undergo surgery to repair the partially torn meniscus that he had previously tried to rehab with a non-surgical approach. LaVine was also recently ruled out for the season as he undergoes finger surgery.

Given how things have gone, it was probably a stretch to say Sabonis would return this season. One of the benefits of that unfortunate reality is that the Kings had two promising young bigs that they would get to see plenty of as Scott Perry evaluates what he has in the early stages of a rebuild.

What will we see from the Kings now?

Now, Sacramento is left with Maxime Raynaud and Drew Eubanks as its lone healthy true bigs. Raynaud, the other of the Kings’ young bigs, certainly warrants the extended run. It was apparently rather quickly, though, that Eubanks is best served as a veteran presence rather than someone to depend on.

This likely means we will see more Precious Achiuwa as a small ball 5, too. We may also see Sacramento use their remaining roster spot on frontcourt depth now that their center rotation got thin quickly.

Cardwell has played in 29 games this season, averaging 5.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in just 21.2 MPG. Both Cardwell’s rebounds and blocks per game lead the rookie class - an incredible feat considering he plays just over 20 MPG.

Kings undrafted rookie Dylan Cardwell defensive tape https://t.co/Ru6tKfNtqa pic.twitter.com/dzvaDW1n63
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) February 18, 2026

These class-leading numbers are all coming from an undrafted rookie, too. The Kings also have Cardwell under contract for three seasons after this, having converted him from a two-way to a standard contract not long ago.

The counting stats are great given his limited minutes, but there is no box score value for what is arguably Cardwell’s greatest addition to the team - vibes.

Gotta appreciate how much fun Dylan Cardwell has on the basketball court.

He’s up to a career-high 14 points and 13 rebound with 6 mins to play. pic.twitter.com/kia0wk7tVv
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) February 7, 2026

He plays with an infectious energy and joy that has been hard to come by in a season filled with lows. Sacramento needs to take wins where they can get them, and finding a rotational big (and subsequently securing long-term) as a UDFA certainly counts.

The Kings have just 26 games remaining, picking back up tomorrow against the Orlando Magic. Here’s hoping Sacramento’s new heartbeat comes back soon to continue establishing himself as part of Sacramento’s future.