Ex-NBA Player Was Paid $300,000 By The Sacramento Kings This Season

The Sacramento Kings were still paying a recent NBA player.

Jan 10, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Detroit Pistons center Nerlens Noel (9) and / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nerlens Noel did not play in the NBA past this season.

The former Kentucky star most recently played in the league during the 2022-23 season when he was a member of the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets.

That year, he averaged 2.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest while shooting 36.1% from the field in 17 games.

He had signed with the Sacramento Kings over the offseason, but was waived before the season began.

Since he still had money on his deal, the Kings paid Noel $300,000 for the 2023-24 season despite him not being on the roster (h/t Sam Yip of HoopsHype and Spotrac).

Nov 25, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detroit Pistons center Nerlens Noel (9) / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Noel was the sixth pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

In addition to the Nets and Pistons, he has also spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks over eight seasons.

His career averages are 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per contest while shooting 54.6% from the field and 20.0% from the three-point range in 467 regular season games.

He has also appeared in 17 NBA playoff games (two starts).

Since Noel is an above-average defender, he will be a name to watch over the 2024 offseason.

May 23, 2021; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks' Nerlens Noel (3) blocks a shot / Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

As for the Kings, they made the NBA playoffs in 2023, but lost to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament last month.

They were the ninth seed in the Western Conference with a 46-36 record.

The Kings have a talented roster with De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, so they will likely be a contender for the 2025 NBA playoffs.