Report: Kings sign former Warriors fan-favorite JaVale McGee

The Sacramento Kings continued efforts to emulate the Golden State Warriors have continued. According to a report by Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Kings are going to sign former Dubs center JaVale McGee. McGee was released by the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week before the second season in a three-year contract. Given the guaranteed money in McGee’s previous contract, he will presumably be signing in Sacramento for the veteran’s minimum.

Here’s what we wrote about McGee when he was waived:

McGee began his NBA career back in 2008 when he was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the 18th overall pick out of the University of Nevada-Reno. McGee immediately became a prominent member of Washington’s rotation and was their starting center by his third season. However, following a trade to the Nuggets in 2012, McGee saw his playing opportunities dwindle.

After brief stints with the 76ers and Mavericks, McGee was out of the league and signed a non-guaranteed contract with Golden State to compete for the final spot on the team’s roster in the 2016-17 season. McGee won the job by a mile and emerged as a consistent contributor across two seasons with the Warriors. McGee rarely received a heavy workload from Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, averaging fewer than 10 minutes per game, but he was a consistent contributor.

Following his role on back-to-back championship teams, McGee signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would play for two seasons and win his third career NBA title. In the three seasons since, McGee has averaged 7.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 13.6 minutes per game between stints with Dallas, Cleveland, Denver, and Phoenix.

McGee will be reunited in Sacramento with head coach Mike Brown, who was an assistant on the Warriors during the big man’s two seasons in the Bay Area.