Sacramento Kings to sign Royce White to 10-day contract, assign him to Reno

by Jonathan Santiago & James Ham

Royce White throws down a dunk as a member of Iowa Cyclones. (Photo: Reese Strickland)
Since being selected in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft, Royce White has yet to play a regular season game.  He may soon get his chance, thanks to the Sacramento Kings.

According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, Cowbell Kingdom has learned that the Kings are expected to sign White to a 10-day contract tomorrow.  He will then immediately report to the Reno Bighorns, the franchise’s D-League affiliate, who will play their next four games at home.  If the Kings like what they see, he could possibly join the team on its active roster, which currently stands one player shy of the league maximum.

Yahoo! Sports was first to report White’s signing.

Last week, the Houston Chronicle reported that White participated in a workout before Kings’ brass.  USA Today followed up with a report that the Kings appeared “likely” to sign the 22-year-old forward to a deal.  After practice last Wednesday, Kings head coach Michael Malone told reporters that no deal was imminent between the franchise and White at the time.

White has had a highly publicized battle with anxiety disorder, which has has made for a difficult transition from college to the NBA.  White was originally selected 16th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft, but clashed with the Rockets over how they handled his struggles with mental illness.

Before the start of this season, White was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers to clear room for the arrival of Dwight Howard.  During his stint with the 76ers, he appeared in five preseason games, including one start. White averaged 5.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists before being waived by the 76ers following the preseason.

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