NBA veteran Denzel Valentine has signed a one-year deal with the Sydney Kings

NBA veteran Denzel Valentine has signed a one-year deal with the Sydney Kings, sources told ESPN.

The 6’4 shooting guard – who’s played six seasons in the NBA over the four teams – completes the Kings’ new import trio, joining Jaylen Adams and D.J. Hogg on the defending two-time NBL champions.

Valentine, 29, is coming off a season in the NBA G-League with the Maine Celtics, averaging 13.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game, shooting 38.8 percent from downtown.

After a storied career at Michigan State University, Valentine was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2016, playing five seasons with the franchise. His most prolific season with the Bulls came during the 2017-18 season, where he averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, starting 37 contests.

Valentine ostensibly fills the void left by Dejan Vasiljevic, who departed the Kings this off-season by executing his NBA and Europe out. The signing completes a busy off-season for the Kings and CEO, Chris Pongrass, having replaced the entire starting lineup and head coach of their 2023 title-winning team.

The Kings are coming off a league-best 19-9 record, en route to a second straight NBL title under Chase Buford. Former Houston Rockets assistant, Mahmoud Abdelfattah, joined the Kings in June as the franchise’s new head coach.

The Kings now have Valentine, Adams, Hogg, Jonah Bolden, Shaun Bruce, Jaylin Galloway, Angus Glover, Makuach Maluach, Kouat Noi, Jordan Hunter, Sam Timmins, and Alex Toohey (Next Star) contracted for the 2023-24 NBL season. Their main roster is complete.

The Kings’ season begins on Saturday, September 30 with a road game against the Illawarra Hawks.