On Friday, news broke that the Atlanta Hawks had waived former Sacramento Kings lottery pick Devin Carter just months after acquiring him via trade, with the initial report by NBA insider Jake Fischer.
The Kings selected Carter 13th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Providence College. Although Carter was highly touted out of the draft, he struggled to earn a regular spot in the NBA and bounced between the Kings and their G-League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, a few times.
Carter Unable to Stick in Sacramento
In his rookie season, Carter appeared in 36 games, but all of his appearances came off of the bench. In 11 minutes per game, he averaged just 3.8 points per game, 1.1 assists, and 2.1 rebounds. That same season, he also spent five games in the G-League, where he looked phenomenal. He averaged 28 points per game, nearly six assists, and 2.1 steals.
Heading into his sophomore season, there was hope that Carter would be able to develop further and show his long-term potential as a key asset for the organization, but that didn’t quite happen. He again played a limited amount of games, making 38 appearances in the 2025-26 campaign. While his counting stats went up, and he did start 12 games, it wasn’t quite enough to secure a future in California’s capital city. He averaged 8.9 points, 2.7 assists, and just under a steal per game.
Then, on June 30, the Kings made a bit of a shocking decision as they opted to trade Carter to the Atlanta Hawks, along with a 2033 second round pick, in exchange for the draft rights to Alpha Kaba. The 60th overall pick in 2017, Kaba has never set foot on a basketball court in North America and appears to be a complete nonfactor at the NBA level.
Atlanta and Beyond
When he arrived in Atlanta, Carter had just one more season remaining on his rookie scale contract, which is worth just over $5 million, assuming the Hawks weren’t going to pick up the team option. Now, assuming he clears waivers, Carter will become a free agent for the first time in his career.
Given the fact that two teams have now moved on from Carter, including the Kings who have the most uncertain future in the Association, it seems difficult to see him earning an outright spot in the NBA right out of the gate. If a team takes a chance on Carter, he’ll likely spend a considerable amount of time in the G-League thanks to his remaining two-way eligibility.
Importantly, although the Hawks were the ones to waive Carter, the 24-year-old guard cannot sign with the Kings, as pointed out by the Third Apron on X. Even if the Kings were eligible to sign him, they’ve already drafted his replacement with Darius Acuff Jr with the seventh overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. On top of that, they’ve brought veteran guard Ben Simmons into the mix to serve as the backup, leaving no room for Carter at the NBA level.
Now, it’s just a waiting game for Carter as he looks for his next contract.
Former Sacramento Kings Lottery Pick Waived by Atlanta