I wrote a couple of pieces about ex-Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa over the offseason after I noticed he wasn’t gaining any traction in free agency. That is, until news broke that he signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Miami Heat, which I described as the Kyle Lowry trade coming full circle in a somewhat ironic way.
However, that reunion in South Beach proved to be short-lived, as he was let go before the start of the 2025-26 season. In the aftermath, I was even planning to write a piece suggesting that Achiuwa might need to reinvent himself or consider playing overseas to get his NBA career back on track. But I was proven wrong in my assumption that Achiuwa was no longer seen as worthy of a roster spot, as the Sacramento Kings signed him off free agency on November 4.
Ex-Raptor Precious Achiuwa joins the Sacramento Kings
In order to complete the deal, the Kings waived 25-year-old big man Isaac Jones, who, if you can still recall, had a monster game against Toronto during Summer League this past July, where he posted a whopping 36 points. Jones was subsequently picked up off waivers by the Detroit Pistons as ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania would reveal earlier today on X.
Achiuwa was originally selected by the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Draft with the 20th overall pick. He later became a key part of the 2021 summer sign-and-trade deal, which also involved the controversial short-time Raptors guard Goran Dragic and resulted in Kyle Lowry leaving Toronto for South Beach.
Achiuwa made 153 appearances for the Toronto Raptors over three years, starting in 40 of those games. He averaged 8.9 points on 45.8 percent shooting from the field, 31.5 percent from three, along with 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists. The former Memphis product had some strong games for Toronto and was looking like a solid building block at the forward/center positions, showing solid defense against star 76ers center Joel Embiid back in the 2022 playoffs, and getting the nod in both the 2021 and 2022 editions of the NBA Rising Stars Challenge.
For someone who seemingly had all the physical and athletic tools, as time went on, it became very apparent in Raptors Nation that fans could easily lose their patience with the big man's negative basketball IQ. And after joining the Knicks as part of the OG Anunoby trade, Achiuwa's frustrating style of play eventually soured that fanbase too, and I caught wind of that almost immediately after moving teams. He'd carve out a role with New York for a little while, sure, and show some flashes of brilliance once again; but it wasn't enough to secure a long-term extension with the Knicks afterward.
Now, joining a somewhat directionless Kings squad that features win-now talent but is not strong enough to compete in a high-stakes Western Conference, Achiuwa provides defensive versatility and rebounding as additional power forward depth or as a backup small-ball center — which Sacramento desperately needs. He made his Kings debut on November 5 against the Golden State Warriors, playing nine minutes. He scored four points on 2-for-2 shooting, grabbed three rebounds, and recorded one block.
However, he'll need to prove that concerns about his ability to finish and his history of tunnel vision are a thing of the past. This could be his last chance to show the NBA that he's worth a roster spot and still has several strong years left in the league, especially at just 26 years old.