The Sacramento Kings are entering the final stretch before their October 21 opener against the L.A. Clippers, and the next month should start clarifying what kind of 2026-27 season this actually becomes. With the post-Kawhi Leonard Clippers waiting in that first matchup, Sacramento has a handful of major questions hanging over camp.
The biggest one starts with the veterans who never left. Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis are still in Sacramento after an offseason that likely involved more uncertainty than enthusiasm.
LaVine, 31, chose to pick up his $49 million player option, which puts him on what looks like the final stop of his Kings run. The front office will probably keep exploring trade possibilities until the February deadline, but if nothing materializes, he can at least walk into free agency next summer on his own terms.
Sabonis brings a different kind of tension. The 30-year-old center still has two years left on his deal, and his name has been floating through trade talk since last season’s February deadline.
Even so, there’s a case for keeping him around. The three-time All-Star has been one of the league’s most steady and effective centers when healthy, and unless Sacramento is convinced Maxime Raynaud or Dylan Cardwell can handle the job, there’s no real downside to holding onto him as long as possible.
That stability, though, comes with a cloud. Both LaVine and Sabonis are likely to stay wrapped in rumor all season, and that kind of noise can hang over a team fast.
Then there’s the future, which the Kings are asking Darius Acuff Jr. to carry. Sacramento used the seventh pick in this summer’s draft on the Arkansas point guard, and the expectations are already enormous. The 19-year-old is being talked about as the franchise’s next star, which is a heavy burden for any rookie - especially one stepping into a team with just one playoff appearance in the last two decades.
There will be growing pains, and that part is almost unavoidable. But Acuff Jr. is also the player fans will watch most closely, because the Kings need something to believe in.
As a freshman with the Razorbacks, he averaged 23.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 44.0% from beyond the arc. The talent is obvious.
The challenge is whether Sacramento can build enough defense around him to let that talent turn into something bigger.
Ben Simmons adds another layer to the story. After sitting out the entire 2025-26 season to get his mind and body right, he is tracking toward an NBA return with the Kings. His deal is not guaranteed yet, and he still has to earn his spot in training camp, but there’s plenty of attention already building around him.
This is one of those situations that reaches beyond Sacramento, because people around the league want to see what Simmons looks like in his first season back. The Kings are just as invested.
They needed defensive help and an experienced backup point guard, and Simmons fits that description for their 14th roster spot. If he gets anywhere close to the All-Star level he once had, this could end up being the best signing of the offseason.
Keegan Murray is another player with a lot riding on this year. Since the Kings drafted him fourth overall in 2022, they’ve been waiting for him to become the kind of player they believed they were getting. Four seasons in, that breakout still hasn’t fully arrived, and now his five-year, $140 million contract is kicking in.
Last season was a rough one for the 26-year-old forward. He appeared in just 23 games and posted career lows of 42% shooting from the field and 27.7% from deep.
His defense has taken a real step forward, which has helped keep him useful, but Sacramento needs more than that now. He has to bring a steadier offensive game, improve his on-ball playmaking, and stay healthy.
That makes this a critical year for Murray. It may be his last real chance to prove he can be a franchise cornerstone. If he doesn’t take the leap the Kings need, that $140 million commitment is going to look a lot tougher to justify.
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Kings Respect Push May Depend On One Future Roster Swing
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One of the more interesting long-range threads now running through Sacramento involves center Jalen Duren, a young player who already fits the kind of timeline and size the Kings have been chasing. Perry is reportedly eyeing the 2027 offseason as a possible swing point and is prepared to meet Durens contract demands, but the path there depends on the kind of roster and contract maneuvering that can change everything for a team still searching for lasting respect. [Read more 🡒]