Former Kings PG Carter Inks Exhibit 10 Deal with Celtics

Entering the offseason, the Sacramento Kings' front office had some cap space dilemmas to navigate, while looking to add players through the draft to accelerate the franchise's rebuild.

Veteran players like Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan have gone their separate ways, while the highly-paid duo of Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis remain potential trade targets as the season approaches.

Former No. 13 overall pick Devin Carter, who spent the last two seasons in Sac Town, was also moved, with the Kings dealing him to the Atlanta Hawks.

However, his Hawks tenure was short-lived, as the former Providence standout was waived on Saturday.

The Boston Celtics immediately showed interest in Carter, signing him to an Exhibit-10 contract on Monday morning.

The contract, according to Spotrac's Keith Smith, becomes a standard non-guaranteed contract if Carter makes the regular season roster.

It can also be converted to a two-way deal, where Carter could earn a potential bonus for joining the G-League affiliate Maine Celtics.

Last season, Carter averaged 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for Sacramento, appearing in 38 games.

Towards the end of the season, with LaVine still sidelined, and the Kings seeking help in the backcourt, Carter got an opportunity to start, where he shined in his increased role.

Over a 3-game span in late March, Carter averaged 19.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals on stellar 52-46-83 shooting splits.

While these numbers were incredibly encouraging for Carter, the Kings were clearly still seeking a new lead guard through the draft.

After acquiring Darius Acuff Jr. with the No. 7 overall pick, it became more unlikely that Carter could find a clear path to playtime this upcoming season.

Sac Town Sports' Carmichael Dave talked about the shortcomings of Carter with the Kings on Monday, noting his streaky 3-point shooting and "in-between" playstyle of the point and shooting guard positions.

But, Dave applauded this move from Boston, saying that the Celtics would be one of the franchises he would pick to help Carter improve.

With the Kings' recent blunders surrounding point guards they have drafted, it would not be surprising to see Carter play better with Boston.

Dave said he would not be surprised if he looks back at some point this season, and wishes that Carter was still on the team, as the backup point guard role behind Acuff is still in question.

Both Malik Monk and Nique Clifford are two anti-typical options, while newly-signed Ben Simmons brings experience playing point forward.

But, it remains to be seen who will initiate the offense for Sacramento's bench unit.