SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Kings have officially announced the acquisition of Chris Duarte, a promising young guard who will add depth to the team’s backcourt.
The Kings finalized a trade with the Indiana Pacers that will bring Duarte to Sacramento in exchange for two future draft picks. The Pacers will receive a second-round pick in 2028 (via Dallas) along with Sacramento’s second-round pick in 2030.
Duarte, 26, is a 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard. The Pacers selected him out of Oregon with the No. 13 pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He has two years remaining on a four-year, $17.7 million rookie contract. He is owed $4.1 million in 2023-34 and $5.9 million in 2024-25.
Duarte had a stellar rookie season with the Pacers. He appeared in 55 games with 39 starts, averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 28.0 minutes per game while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range. Duarte was chosen to participate in the 2022 Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend and was later named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Duarte had a reduced role with the Pacers last season. He appeared in 46 games with 12 starts while dealing with a lingering ankle injury. He averaged 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 19.5 minutes per game while his 3-point percentage dropped to 31.6%.
Duarte scored 30 points in a game against the Brooklyn Nets in October, but he missed six weeks after going down with an ankle injury in the next game. He finally regained his form to shoot 41.4% from 3-point range in March before he was sidelined again due to soreness in the same ankle.
Duarte joins a Sacramento backcourt that features All-NBA point guard De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Davion Mitchell and second-round draft pick Colby Jones.
Duarte was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York as a teenager. He played at Redemption Christian Academy, where he was rated the fifth-best player in New York by 247Sports.
Duarte originally committed to Western Kentucky, but he began his collegiate career at Northwest Florida State College, where he was named Panhandle Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore. Duarte then transferred to Oregon, where he won the 2021 Jerry West Award as the nation’s top shooting guard after leading the Ducks to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
Duarte was one of college basketball’s best shot makers at Oregon. He shot 63.1% on two-point shots and 42.4% from 3-point range while converting 81% at the free throw line.
