Maxime Raynaud Avoids a Major Knee Injury but Will Miss the Kings' Opener, and Sacramento's Center Depth Gets Thin

Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud will be reevaluated in about two weeks after an MRI revealed a right patellar subluxation, the team announced Sunday. The injury, a partial dislocation of the kneecap, happened in Saturday's preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, when Raynaud left the court in a wheelchair. Further testing ruled out significant ligament damage, which turned an alarming scene into something close to a best-case outcome.

Even so, Raynaud will open the regular season on the inactive list, and he is likely to miss at least the first few games even if the two-week timeline holds. For fantasy managers drafting this week, the injury reshapes Sacramento's frontcourt minutes behind Domantas Sabonis, who himself has missed two straight preseason games.

What happened

Raynaud went down in the first half against the Warriors. The initial images were concerning, and the Kings' medical staff took him off the floor in a wheelchair. Sunday's MRI showed the subluxation, and reports noted he left the arena on crutches rather than a stretcher.

Patellar subluxations vary in recovery time. Some players are back within a few weeks; others need longer if the kneecap remains unstable or there is related cartilage damage. The Kings' two-week reevaluation date is the earliest point at which a return becomes realistic, not a return date.

The other consideration with kneecap injuries is recurrence. Once a kneecap has slipped out of place, the stabilizing structures around it need time to recover, and teams tend to be conservative with young players for exactly that reason. Sacramento has every incentive to take the long view with a developing center rather than rush him back for a handful of October games. Fantasy managers should assume the later end of any range the team provides, and treat a late-October return as the optimistic case rather than the expected one.

Sacramento's frontcourt picture

Raynaud was competing for the primary backup center role, and he had been productive in the preseason before the injury. With him out, the minutes behind Sabonis go to a small group.

Sabonis was held out of Saturday's game against the Warriors, his second straight absence, and the team has not listed a specific injury. His next opportunity is Tuesday against Portland. Sabonis is still expected to be the starter when the season opens, and earlier in the offseason the Kings were reportedly unable to find a workable trade for him.

Fantasy fallout

Domantas Sabonis remains a high-end fantasy center if healthy, and the lack of backup competition only secures his minutes. The preseason absences are the one concern. Watch Tuesday's game against Portland. If he plays normal minutes, draft him confidently in the early rounds; if he sits again without explanation, it is worth asking more questions.

Dylan Cardwell is the biggest beneficiary of Raynaud's injury. He becomes the most likely backup center, and his minutes could be meaningful early in the season. He is a deep-league rebounding and blocks target, not a standard-league draft pick.

Precious Achiuwa gains frontcourt minutes as a hybrid big. He started the preseason opener with Keegan Murray sidelined and typically plays backup power forward. His rebounding and defensive stats give him some value in deep category leagues.

Maxime Raynaud is a stash only in dynasty formats. A young center who was earning a role is worth holding in keeper leagues, but redraft managers should not use a pick on him.

The bigger Sacramento picture

The Kings already entered the season with questions about their frontcourt depth. Sabonis and Zach LaVine both underwent season-ending surgeries in February, and Sabonis changed agents over the summer with trade speculation following. Raynaud's emergence was one of the more encouraging storylines of camp, and losing him, even briefly, puts more pressure on Sabonis to stay healthy.

That matters for the team's season outlook. A thin frontcourt in October is manageable; a thin frontcourt in December, if Sabonis' minutes climb, is a long-term risk. For the model's view of the Kings, see the NBA predictions page.

What to do in your draft

1. Draft Sabonis in the early rounds as long as Tuesday's preseason game goes smoothly. 2. Target Cardwell in deep leagues as a late-round rebounding and blocks option. 3. Do not draft Raynaud in standard redraft formats; monitor the waiver wire for his return in late October or November. 4. Consider Achiuwa as a deep-league bench big. 5. Watch Tuesday's game against Portland for Sabonis' minutes and any update on his status.

Raynaud's injury could have been much worse. The Kings got good news on the MRI, but the short-term cost is still real: one of their promising young bigs will watch the opener from the bench, and Sacramento's depth chart behind Sabonis is now as thin as it has been all preseason.