Former Kings G Hayes Signs With Maccabi Tel Aviv

Amidst the Sacramento Kings' injury-filled season last year, multiple players got extended minutes and more opportunities.

Killian Hayes, who is a former lottery pick, was one of those players, signing with Sacramento during the season and appearing in 23 games.

He signed his first ten-day with Sacramento on Feb. 23 before his second on March 5. 

But, he struggled with efficient shot-making, and had a slow start to his Kings career.

Nevertheless, Hayes showed enough in the playmaking department to warrant a standard NBA deal, agreeing to a two-year contract in March.

However, with the arrival of Darius Acuff Jr. and other two-way players making a big impact, the Kings decided to decline his second-year option and send Hayes into free agency.

Throughout this offseason, Hayes saw minimal interest from around the league, and has now signed a deal overseas.

On Thursday, it was reported Hayes signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, joining the Israeli Basketball Super League.

Joining NBA talents like Daniel Theis, Oshae Brissett, T.J. Leaf, and others, Hayes will seek a career revival overseas.

Hayes was originally selected as the No. 7 overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, where he played for four seasons.

However, the Pistons selected All-Star point guard Cade Cunningham with the No. 1 pick just one season later, handing him the keys to the franchise, rather than Hayes.

His best season in Detroit came in 2022, averaging over 10 points per game in 76 appearances.

Playing next to Cunningham also helped Hayes to excel as a playmaker, averaging a career-high 6.2 assists per game.

While Hayes' time in Sac Town did not have a profound impact, he did have some strong outings, displaying this passing ability.

Across his first 10 appearances with the Kings, Hayes has racked up 41 assists while turning it over just 10 times.

His 4.1 assist to turnover ratio ranked top-20 in the NBA, while accumulating an impressive 28.2 assist percentage.

In a 116-111 win over the Utah Jazz, Hayes scored a season-high 16 points on efficient shooting splits.

The frenchman made four 3-pointers, his second-most in a game in his NBA career, while adding eight assists, five rebounds and two blocks. 

This was Hayes' first start of the season, as the Kings were extremely shorthanded at the guard position, being without Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk and Devin Carter.

He and Kings forward DeMar DeRozan each played a game-high 38 minutes, leading Sacramento to a fourth victory in five games. 

A change of scenery will allow Hayes to escape some of the scrutiny he has experienced over the past few years and likely give him a lead-guard role.