Dylan Cardwell was upgraded from day-to-day to out Tuesday with a left calf strain, and he will miss the Kings' season opener against the Trail Blazers. Anthony Slater of ESPN.com reports Cardwell will be out at least two weeks.
What happened
Cardwell's status changed to Out on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 5:09 PM ET, up from Day-To-Day. The injury report lists the issue as calf, leg, left. Cardwell had been day-to-day since Saturday, Oct. 10, first with a rest-related, other designation, then Monday, Oct. 12, with the calf issue already showing on the leg. Anthony Slater of ESPN.com reports Cardwell will miss at least two weeks with a left calf strain, a step up in severity from the day-to-day tag he carried into the week.
What it means for the Kings
Sacramento hosts the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 10:00 PM ET without Cardwell, who played 20.6 minutes a game with 5.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists last season. The Kings are also without Maxime Raynaud, listed Out with a right knee issue, and Domantas Sabonis is Day-To-Day with an undisclosed issue, which thins the frontcourt further. If Sabonis plays, he has averaged 29.7 minutes, 15.8 points; Raynaud, when available, has given Sacramento 26.5 minutes and 12.5 points at center. The 2026-27 season has not started, so there is no record yet with or without Cardwell.
What to watch
Cardwell's expected return is listed as Oct. 29, 2026, with the injury report citing at least two weeks out for the calf strain. The next injury report will show whether that timeline holds or shifts. For now, the opener against the Trail Blazers is the first test of how Sacramento's frontcourt rotation holds up without him.
Is Dylan Cardwell playing vs. Trail Blazers?
No. Cardwell is listed as Out for the Tuesday, Oct. 13 game against the Trail Blazers with a left calf strain.
When will Dylan Cardwell be back?
His expected return is listed as Oct. 29, 2026. Anthony Slater of ESPN.com reports he will miss at least two weeks with the left calf strain.