Sacramento Kings Forward Hunter Sidelined for Season After Eye Surgery

Sacramento Kings forward De'Andre Hunter will miss the remainder of the NBA season following surgery to repair a detached retina in his left eye. The injury occurred during his second game with the team after being traded from Cleveland earlier this month. Hunter is expected to make a complete recovery with a medical update scheduled in eight weeks.

Sacramento Kings forward De’Andre Hunter’s season has come to an abrupt end after undergoing surgical repair of a detached retina in his left eye, the team confirmed Friday.

The 28-year-old player suffered the injury during the third quarter of Sacramento’s February 6th matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. The incident occurred in just his second appearance wearing a Kings uniform.

Dr. M. Ali Khan performed the procedure Friday at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Roseville, California. Team officials expect Hunter to recover completely, with his next medical evaluation scheduled for approximately eight weeks from now.

This latest setback adds to Sacramento’s mounting injury woes. The struggling franchise, currently sitting at the bottom of NBA standings with a 12-45 record and mired in a franchise-record 15-game losing streak, already lost two other key players this week when Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine both underwent season-ending procedures Wednesday.

Three-time All-Star Sabonis required surgery to address a torn meniscus in his left knee. The frontcourt star had just returned to action in mid-January following a 27-game absence.

Two-time All-Star guard LaVine opted for surgery after battling a right hand tendon injury that kept him in and out of the lineup for 10 games.

During his brief stint with Sacramento, Hunter started both contests and contributed 15 points, three rebounds and one assist across 51 total minutes of play.

The Kings acquired Hunter on February 1st through a three-team transaction that brought him from Cleveland. In return, the Cavaliers received guards Dennis Schroeder and Keon Ellis. The deal also involved Sacramento sending Dario Saric and a 2029 second-round draft pick to Chicago, while the Bulls transferred Emanuel Miller to Cleveland for another second-round selection.

This season, Hunter appeared in 45 games with 25 starts, posting averages of 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 26.1 minutes per contest.

Originally selected fourth overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2019 NBA Draft, Hunter spent his early career with Atlanta from 2019-20 until Cleveland acquired him in exchange for Caris LeVert and Georges Niang on February 6, 2025.

Throughout his professional career, Hunter has compiled averages of 14.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 29.6 minutes across 372 regular season appearances with 271 starts. His playoff statistics include 14.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 30.7 minutes over 24 games with 16 starts.