Kings’ Maxime Raynaud to miss start of season after right knee patellar subluxation

The Sacramento Kings announced that center Maxime Raynaud will miss the start of the season after suffering a right knee patellar subluxation. The team said Raynaud will be re-evaluated in two weeks, a timetable that suggests the Kings believe the injury is recoverable without a lengthy absence, even as the early look of the incident raised alarm.

Raynaud’s setback came during the second quarter of Sacramento’s preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors. According to the report, Raynaud collided with Warriors guard Stephen Curry and went down, an episode that prompted initial worry about how much time he might be forced to miss. The Kings’ updated medical plan, while still sidelining him for the opening portion of the regular season, indicates that the situation was not as dire as it initially appeared.

Patellar subluxation refers to a partial shift of the kneecap out of its normal position. For NBA rosters, the diagnosis matters because knee stability affects a player’s ability to sprint, plant, and absorb contact, particularly for big men who defend in space and finish in traffic. Even when the absence is measured in weeks instead of months, the Kings will still have to manage Raynaud’s return carefully during early-season ramp-up.

With Raynaud listed as a backup center, his absence carries roster and rotation implications for Sacramento’s frontcourt depth at the start of the campaign. The Kings will likely have to lean on other bigs for minutes that Raynaud would have been expected to cover, especially in matchups that require physicality on the interior. The two-week re-evaluation window also places Sacramento in a position to make more concrete decisions about frontcourt minutes once the team reassesses him.

The first games of the season are a sensitive period for any returning player, because workload and movement are tested at full speed after the preseason. Sacramento will also have to confirm that the knee responds well to basketball-specific stress, not just general rehabilitation benchmarks. If Raynaud is able to progress on schedule, the re-evaluation could clear the path for him to rejoin the rotation, but the Kings have not stated any return date beyond that check-in.

For fans watching the Kings’ season picture, the main variable is how Raynaud’s early absence reshapes Sacramento’s early rotation. Even a “handful of games” gap can shift bench roles and alter matchup planning, which can have downstream effects on how the Kings stagger their bigs as the schedule begins to tighten.