Trey Lyles, Kings reportedly agree to two-year, $16 million deal

From a numbers standpoint, Trey Lyles didn’t have a career year in 2022-23. But from an impact standpoint, it was arguably the best stretch of his eight years in the NBA so far. And for that, he’s being rewarded with a multi-year contract.

On Friday afternoon, soon after NBA free agency began at 6:00 p.m. EST, it was reported by multiple outlets that Lyles has agreed to a two-year, $16 million (plus potential bonuses) contract to return to the Sacramento Kings, which made the playoffs this past spring for the first time since 2006.

Lyles, a 6-foot-9 stretch forward, was a steady role player off the bench for Sacramento, averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game across 74 appearances. He finished with shooting splits of 45.8/36.3/81.5. There will be no player or team options on this deal, meaning Lyles will stay with the Kings through the 2025-26 season barring a trade.

The Trey Lyles deal with the Kings is two years, $16 million plus bonuses, a source tells @TheAthletic. No team or player options. @ChrisBHaynes first reported that Lyles would return to Sacramento.

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 30, 2023

This is the first significant contract for Lyles, now 27, since arriving in the NBA as a lottery pick ahead of the 2015-16 season. After spending one season at Kentucky, he was selected No. 12 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz and made an immediate impact.

As a rookie in Utah, Lyles started 33 of the 80 games he played in, but failed to average more than 20 minutes per contest until the 2019-20 season (20.2 MPG) when he was a member of a San Antonio Spurs team that finished with a record of 32-39. He also spent time with the Denver Nuggets (’17-19) and Detroit Pistons (’21-22) before the Kings traded for him during the 2021-22 season.

Sacramento is the fifth franchise that Lyles has played for already, but he appears to have found a steady home with the California-based franchise that is only expected to improve. After signing smaller deals earlier in his career with the Spurs and Pistons, the Kings elected to shell out $8 million per year to keep a key piece from last season’s rotation in place.

Lyles is teammates in Sacramento with a pair of former Kentucky guards, De’Aaron Fox (who was named a first-time All-Star in ’22-23) and Malik Monk.