Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Fares well in Summer League
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Cardwell registered 15 points (5-8 FG, 3-3 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 25 minutes during Thursday's 91-85 Summer League win over the Clippers.
The Auburn product made an immediate impact around the rim, finishing efficiently while falling one rebound shy of a double-double. After a standout rookie campaign in 2025-26, Cardwell will make a serious push for a rotation role ahead of Opening Night, especially if the Kings move on from Domantas Sabonis.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Double-doubles in Summer League
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Cardwell finished with 12 points (5-7 FG, 1-2 FT), 12 rebounds, two assists, four steals and four blocks in 25 minutes of Monday's 95-89 Summer League win over the Bucks.
Cardwell sat out Sunday's win over Warriors Blue for maintenance, but he was back to business Monday. He's looked excellent through two exhibitions, shooting 72.7 percent from the field with averages of 9.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 3.0 blocks.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Cleared to play Monday
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Cardwell (undisclosed) is available for Monday's California Classic Summer League game against the Bucks, Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento reports.
Cardwell sat out Sunday's win over Warriors Blue -- the second leg of a back-to-back-to-back set -- due to undisclosed reasons. However, he'll suit up in Sacramento's final California Classic contest. In 28 minutes during Saturday's win over the Nets, the big man tallied eight points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Won't play Sunday
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Cardwell (undisclosed) is out for Sunday's Summer League game against the Warriors Blue, James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento reports.
Cardwell will skip the second leg of this back-to-back set, but he should be back for Monday's matchup with Milwaukee. Anthony Dell'Orso and BJ Edwards should be able to get into the rotation Sunday with Cardwell unavailable.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Blocks four shots in win Saturday
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Cardwell finished with eight points (3-4 FG, 1-6 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks across 28 minutes in Saturday's 79-76 California Classic Summer League win over Brooklyn.
Cardwell didn't do much on the offensive end, though he shined defensively by accumulating two steals and four blocks. The 24-year-old averaged 5.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.7 steals over 20.6 minutes in 44 regular-season appearances with the Kings in 2025-26. While Cardwell has plenty to offer, he may have trouble finding minutes behind Domantas Sabonis (knee) and Maxime Raynaud. He will also need to address his free-throw shooting. If not, Cardwell could have an even tougher time getting involved.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Wraps up decent rookie campaign
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Cardwell accumulated six points (3-7 FG, 0-1 3Pt), eight rebounds, one block and one steal over 21 minutes during Sunday's 122-110 loss to Portland.
Though it was fellow rookie Maxime Raynaud who was more productive for the Kings this year, Cardwell held his own in a backup role and will likely be pushing for a rotation spot in the frontcourt in 2026-27. Through 44 contests, Cardwell averaged 5.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 20.6 minutes per contest while shooting 58.7 percent from the floor.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Pulls down 11 rebounds
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Cardwell finished Tuesday's 134-90 loss to the Hornets with six points (3-8 FG), 11 rebounds, one assist and one block across 24 minutes.
Cardwell was part of an eight-man rotation for the injury-depleted Kings. His fantasy appeal remains limited to deeper leagues, as he's averaging 4.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.3 blocks in 17.8 minutes over his last six appearances.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Off injury report for Saturday
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Cardwell (ankle) isn't listed on the injury report for Saturday's game against the Clippers.
Cardwell participated in Friday's practice and is set to return from an 11-game absence due to a sprained left ankle. He'll likely serve as Maxime Raynaud's primary backup, though it wouldn't be surprising to see Cardwell operate under a minutes restriction during his return.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Goes through practice
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Cardwell (ankle) practiced with the Kings on Friday, James Ham of ESPN 1320 Sacramento reports.
The Kings announced Feb. 18 that Cardwell would be re-evaluated in four weeks, so the rookie is due for an update shortly. His availability at practice is a sign that he's trending in the right direction.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Gets upgraded from two-way deal
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Cardwell agreed Thursday with the Kings on a four-year contract, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
As expected, the Kings ended up upgrading Cardwell from his two-way deal after the undrafted rookie out of Auburn had played his way into a regular spot in the NBA rotation. According to Charania, the first two seasons of Cardwell's deal will be fully guaranteed. While appearing in each of Sacramento's last 16 games, Cardwell has averaged 5.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.2 assists and 0.5 steals in 21.3 minutes per contest.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Secures double-double off bench
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Cardwell recorded 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal across 26 minutes before fouling out of Sunday's 117-110 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Cardwell collected his first double-double of the 2025-26 campaign and saw plenty of chances with the Kings still working Domantas Sabonis back from a knee injury. This marks Cardwell's second time this year that he's reached double-digit rebounds and his third time scoring 10-plus points, though these chances are expected to dwindle once Sabonis begins to ramp up his workload.
Cardwell ended Sunday's 111-98 win over the Rockets with nine points (4-11 FG, 1-4 FT), 11 rebounds and one assist across 19 minutes.
Despite coming off the bench, the rookie big man flirted with what could've been his first career double-double. The door remains open for Caldwell to play meaningful minutes, with Domantas Sabonis (knee) still out, but Caldwell also has Precious Achiuwa and Drew Eubanks as competitors for playing time behind Maxime Raynaud.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Starting Saturday
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Cardwell will start in Saturday's game against the Bucks, Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento reports.
The rookie big man will get the starting nod for the first time in his career, pushing Russell Westbrook to the bench. Over two regular-season appearances, Cardwell has averaged 1.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals in 13.5 minutes per game.
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Kings' Dylan Cardwell: Comes to terms with Kings
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Cardwell agreed to a two-way contract with Sacramento on Thursday, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Cardwell is known for his ability to finish at the rim, converting on 70.0 percent of his field-goal attempts during his final season at Auburn while also averaging 2.5 offensive rebounds over 38 games. He works just as hard on the defensive end, as shown by 1.4 swats per matchup during the 2024-25 campaign.
