Sacramento Kings (2009–2013) 2009–10: Rookie of the Year On March 31, 2009, Evans declared himself eligible for the
2009 NBA draft, opting to forgo his remaining three seasons of collegiate eligibility. He was selected on June 25, 2009, by the
Sacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick. On December 1, 2009, Evans was named the
Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played from the beginning of the season through November. Over that period, he put up averages of 18.8 points, 5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 36.1 minutes per game. Also notably, on December 21, he led the Kings back from a 35-point deficit to defeat the
Chicago Bulls 102–98; by scoring 9 of the Kings' last 11 points, he single-handedly outscored the Bulls in the fourth quarter, with his 11 points besting the Bulls' 10 points scored. On January 4, 2010, Evans was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for the second month straight. On February 12, Evans won the 2010
Rookie and Sophomore Game MVP award after recording 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals on 11-of-15 shooting. In an act of sportsmanship, Evans opted to share the award with
DeJuan Blair, who had put up 22 points and pulled down 23 rebounds. In a victory over the
Toronto Raptors on March 11, Evans recorded his first career
triple-double with his 19 points to go along with 10 assists and as many rebounds. Evans became just the fourth rookie in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists after
Oscar Robertson (1960–61),
Michael Jordan (1984–85), and
LeBron James (2003–04). On April 27, 2010, Evans was recognized for his accomplishments by being awarded the 2009–10
NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
2010–13: Later seasons On December 29, 2010,
O. J. Mayo hit an off-balance shot to put the
Memphis Grizzlies up by one point with only seconds remaining in the game; with no timeouts left,
DeMarcus Cousins inbounded the ball to Evans, who dribbled to half court and nailed a three-pointer to secure a two-point win for Sacramento. Though it came in a loss to the
Golden State Warriors, Evans tallied a then career-high 35 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals on January 21, 2011. He later missed 19 regular season games on account of
plantar fasciitis in his left foot and thus did not play in that year's NBA Rookie Challenge. On November 24, 2011, Evans agreed to a deal to play for
Virtus Roma in Italy during the NBA lockout; the deal had an NBA out-clause allowing him to return to the Sacramento Kings when the lockout ceased. In December, he returned to the Kings after the
2011 NBA lockout had ended. On January 28, 2012, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 96–93 loss to the Utah Jazz. In
2012–13, Evans missed 16 out of 20 games between November 30 and January 5 due to a left knee injury. He finished the season with averages of 15.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
New Orleans Pelicans (2013–2017) . Evans was acquired by the
New Orleans Pelicans on July 10, 2013, in a sign-and-trade deal involving three teams; the deal sent
Robin Lopez to the
Portland Trail Blazers and
Greivis Vásquez to the Kings. On December 30 that year, Evans hit the game-clinching shot with 1.2 seconds remaining in a victory over the Trail Blazers. On April 14, 2014, he scored a career-high 41 points during a 101–89 win over the
Oklahoma City Thunder. In a 101–95 win over his former team, the Sacramento Kings, Evans tallied a near triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. On December 1, 2015, he played his first game of the 2015–16 season after having missed the Pelicans' first 17 games while recovering from right knee surgery. In 31 minutes as a starter, Evans recorded 20 points and 10 assists in the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. On the 11th of that same month, he scored 27 points and hit a career-high 5 three-pointers in a 105–103 win versus the
Washington Wizards. On February 11, 2016, he underwent another round of surgery to his right knee and was ruled out for the rest of the season. On December 15, 2016, being his first game since January 25, Evans played 11 minutes and posted 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists during a 102–95 victory over the
Indiana Pacers. On January 12, 2017, Evans scored a season-high 29 points in a 104–95 victory over the
Brooklyn Nets.
Return to Sacramento (2017) On February 20, 2017, Evans was traded along with
Buddy Hield,
Langston Galloway, and 2017 first and second round draft picks to the
Sacramento Kings in exchange for
DeMarcus Cousins and
Omri Casspi. Three days later, in his first game for the Kings since 2013, Evans scored 15 points off the bench in a 116–100 win over the
Denver Nuggets. On March 8, 2017, he scored a season-high 26 points in a 114–104 loss to the
San Antonio Spurs.
Memphis Grizzlies (2017–2018) Evans signed with the
Memphis Grizzlies on July 10, 2017. On November 1 of that year, he led the team with 32 points in a 101–99 loss to the
Orlando Magic; it was his first 30-point performance since December 2014. Midway through the season, Evans filled in for the injured
Mike Conley to become the team's starting point guard. On December 27, he accumulated 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 109–99 victory over the
Los Angeles Lakers. After being put on the trade block leading up to the trade deadline, Evans missed time in late January and early February. In his first game back for the Grizzlies on February 11, Evans recorded 12 points and 5 rebounds in a 110–92 loss to the
Oklahoma City Thunder. On February 23, he put up 15 points and 10 assists in a 112–89 loss to the
Cleveland Cavaliers. In the contest, Evans went 3 for 7 from outside the arc to make his 28th straight game with at least one 3-pointer, breaking the franchise record of 27 previously held by
Mike Miller. On March 15 against the
Chicago Bulls, Evans returned to the lineup following a 10-game absence because of a rib injury.
Indiana Pacers (2018–2019) On July 6, 2018, Evans signed with the
Indiana Pacers. In the season-opener on October 17, he posted 14 points and 5 assists to debut for his new franchise and help defeat his former team, the
Memphis Grizzlies, 111–83. On November 16, he hit five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 23 points off the bench in a 99–91 win over the
Miami Heat. In game four of the Pacers' first-round playoff series against the
Boston Celtics, he scored a playoff career-high 21 points in a 110–106 series-ending loss.
NBA suspension (2019–2022) On May 17, 2019, Evans was
banned from the NBA for violating the terms of its Anti-Drug Program that prohibits
drug abuse. He became eligible to apply for reinstatement in 2021, and was officially reinstated on February 14, 2022.
Wisconsin Herd (2022) On March 16, 2022, Evans signed with the
Wisconsin Herd of the
NBA G League. On March 23, he was waived. ==Career statistics==