The Kings' $1.3M center supplied 21% of their production last season, and his right knee is now the unknown
Maxime Raynaud went down holding his right knee late in the first half Saturday night, after setting a screen on Stephen Curry for Darius Acuff Jr. in a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. The AP reported that he was helped into a wheelchair and taken to the locker room, escorted by general manager Scott Perry, and that owner Vivek Ranadive later checked on him outside it.
The Sacramento Kings ruled him out with a right knee injury. He left with 2:32 remaining in the half, per USA TODAY, having scored 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting in nine minutes. No diagnosis or timeline has been reported.
That uncertainty matters because of what his contract delivered last season. The 42nd pick in the 2025 draft, out of Stanford, averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds over 74 games as a rookie on 57.1% shooting from the field, and made the All-Rookie second team.
Per WAGE, his $1.3M salary in 2025-26 sat 433rd of the 435 rated players, while his production ranked 135th: a near-minimum line on the payroll sheet carrying output well above it.
That season earned a 76 WAGE Score, in the Smart Money tier, and his cost per unit of production was the third cheapest among the 399 rated players whose production was above zero.
The roster view is starker: last season Raynaud took 1% of the Kings' payroll and supplied 21% of their production.
I'd argue the number to watch underneath that share is the 74 games. Production here is a season total, and his was earned across 74 of the Kings' 82 games; how many he plays this season is exactly what the reporting cannot yet say.
The Kings do have bodies at the position. Will Zimmerle of Kings On SI listed Domantas Sabonis, Dylan Cardwell, Precious Achiuwa and Jonathan Mogbo as the other center options and expects Cardwell to see more minutes. What the reporting does not say is how long those minutes will be needed, what Raynaud is paid this season, or whether Sacramento plans any move.
Last season's figures describe last season's money; they say nothing about the knee. Until the Kings say more, that is where the story stops.