De’Andre Hunter undergoes eye surgery; Kings’ recent addition ruled out for the season.
Sacramento Kings forward De’Andre Hunter has undergone surgery on his left eye that will end his season, as confirmed by a team representative on Friday.
The injury occurred on February 6 during a game against the LA Clippers, where he was diagnosed with a retinal detachment, according to the team. The procedure took place Friday afternoon, conducted by Dr. M. Ali Khan at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Roseville, California.
The team anticipates that Hunter will fully recover, with an update expected in about eight weeks.
At 28 years old, Hunter was acquired by the Kings through a three-team trade involving the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls earlier this month. Sacramento traded guards Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis to Cleveland; Hunter moved from the Cavaliers to the Kings; and Chicago received two second-round picks along with Sacramento’s Dario Saric.
Hunter participated in two games for the Kings, averaging 7.5 points on 21.1% shooting and 1.5 rebounds before being placed on the inactive list due to left eye iritis.
He is the third player from the Kings to have season-ending surgery recently, following Domantas Sabonis (left knee meniscus repair) and Zach LaVine (right fifth finger tendon repair). These surgeries come after NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed concerns regarding the league’s tanking situation, which he noted has been “worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory.”
Silver mentioned that he has met with the league’s 30 general managers to address the matter.
Sacramento (12-45) currently holds the worst record in the NBA. Should the Kings conclude the season with the lowest record, they will have a 14% chance of securing the No. 1 pick in the lottery for the 2026 draft, which is anticipated to feature a strong group of prospects entering the NBA this summer.
