Dylan Cardwell returns for Kings vs. Lakers

Sacramento needed some good news, and it showed up on the injury report as an empty line next to Cardwell's name.

Anthony Slater

@anthonyVslater

The Kings will get reserve big Dylan Cardwell back tonight. He strained his calf in the preseason and has missed the first seven games. Needed energy boost on both ends for a 1-6 team. Cardwell: “Zero restrictions.” t.co/XiptpidMed

There's a little poetry to the timing. Cardwell felt left calf soreness after the Kings' October 8 preseason game against these same Lakers, imaging showed a strain, and the team said he'd be reevaluated in about 2 weeks. That timeline already meant he'd miss the start of the season. It ended up being all 7 games, and he was ruled out as recently as Monday against Dallas before coming off the report for tonight.

If you don't know Cardwell, here's who he is: the 6-11 energy big from Auburn's Final Four team who went undrafted in June 2025, signed a two-way with Sacramento and played his way into a real contract. The Kings converted him in February to a 4-year standard deal worth about $8.3 million, with this season's $2.15 million guaranteed. At the time of that deal he was averaging 4.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in about 20 minutes a night. He won't score you 20. He'll rebound, block shots and wear the other team out, which is exactly what this roster is missing.

Sean Cunningham

@SeanCunningham

Dylan Cardwell is back and ready to make his season debut with the Kings tonight vs. Lakers. He talks about experiencing the calf injury, analyzes Sacramento's 1-6 start to the season & what it means to see teammates excited for him to contribute. t.co/ztx6ceoT8i

The reason it matters this much is the defense, which has been brutal. Before tip, the matchup numbers lined up about as badly as they can for Sacramento.

Law Murray 🎮

@LawMurrayTheNU

Some matchup items for Lakers at Sacramento for Wednesday night This one is as simple as this: the Lakers are the only NBA team making more than 50% from the field. The Kings are the only NBA team allowing more than 50% from the field. It should be a field day for Walker Kessler.

The Lakers are the only team in the league making more than 50% from the field, and the Kings are the only team allowing more than 50%. That is the whole preview. Law Murray thinks Walker Kessler is in for a field day, and the interior is where Cardwell earns his money, so he gets the first shot at stopping that. Expect his minutes to come at least partly out of Precious Achiuwa's share.

Let's be realistic. A backup center isn't going to fix a 1-6 start by himself, and nobody in Sacramento is pretending he will. But the Kings have looked flat, and Cardwell is the guy who chases loose balls and celebrates teammates' charges like he just won the lottery. If he can pull Sacramento under 50% shooting allowed for one night against the hottest offense in the league, that's already a win. If he can't, the Kings have bigger problems than a calf.