Marvin Bagley III Agrees to Rookie Contract with Kings

The Sacramento Kings announced Sunday they have signed No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III to a four-year rookie-scale contract that could pay him up to $36.9 million.

The 19-year-old was a bit of a surprise at No. 2. Most experts pegged Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic as the top players in this class, with Bagley being part of a talented-but-flawed second tier. However, the Kings saw a multipositional hard worker and zeroed in on him after an impressive workout.

"He's extremely athletic, he's a very willing learner and ... we certainly want to get up and down the floor—we are athletic with our bigs position—and try to open up the court a little bit for De'Aaron (Fox) to have a little bit more space in transition and play fast with some of that athleticism," Kings coach Dave Joerger told reporters.

Bagley averaged 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds during his lone season at Duke, emerging as a stellar offensive player near the basket and out to NBA mid-range. There are legitimate concerns about his willingness and ability to play defense, but he was as close to a surefire double-double threat as there was in this class.

"It feels good knowing that I'm going to be a part of this for a long time," Bagley said. "I can't wait to get in there and get to work and learn as much as I can ... and do whatever I can to help us win, so I'm definitely excited."

There shouldn't be much impeding Bagley from starting as a rookie. Zach Randolph is 36 and isn't at a point in his career where he can throw a fit about being a reserve. Second-year forward Harry Giles is a ball of potential, but no one has any clue whether he can stay healthy.

Regardless, the Kings and Bagley will have time to figure it out.