The Sacramento Kings are back in rebuild mode, and Charles Barkley isn’t exactly handing out hope in neat little doses.
Asked by Fox 40’s Kirsten Moran-Kellar what it will take for the Kings to return to the NBA playoffs, Barkley didn’t soften the edges. “A miracle, the hand of God, the Pope coming to town before the Kings gonna be any good,” he said.
“Yeah, we got to get Pope Leo in town. Kings in bad shape right now, and it sucks because they have one of the best fan bases in the world.
I love Sacramento fans, but they need a miracle.”
That’s the blunt reality around a franchise that has slipped right back into the mud after briefly looking like one of the league’s best stories. Sacramento went 22-60 last season, finished 14th in the Western Conference, and now faces another reset with very little margin for error.
The recent past hasn’t exactly helped. The Kings have made the playoffs only once in the last 20 seasons, with that 2022-23 group finishing 48-33. But many of the key names from that team are already gone.
Mike Brown was fired in December 2024, and De’Aaron Fox, one of Sacramento’s All-Stars in 2023 and the league’s Clutch Player of the Year, was eventually dealt to the Spurs in February 2025 in a three-team trade that also involved the Chicago Bulls. Kevin Huerter, a starter on that playoff Kings team, ended up with Chicago as part of that deal. Harrison Barnes, another starter from that Spurs Finals team, is gone too.
That leaves the Kings with only a few core pieces from that era: Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and Malik Monk. Murray, who is 25, is the one who appears most likely to stick around long term. Sacramento has already waived DeMar DeRozan, and the team has also been looking to move Sabonis as it starts over.
For now, the biggest swing in this rebuild may be Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 19-year-old has shown plenty of upside, but his Summer League run in California and Las Vegas has been uneven. He’s averaging 22.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting 32.4% from the field and 29.6% from three.
It’s still too early to stamp anything on Acuff. But if he turns into the kind of player Sacramento can build around, the Kings at least get a foothold. Right now, that’s the whole challenge: finding one piece that can pull them back toward relevance.
In Other News...
Scott Perry Just Sent A Clear Message About The Kings Direction
Scott Perry made it sound like Sacramentos offseason is less about patching holes and more about changing the feel of the roster. The Kings GM said the plan is to build around toughness, athleticism and defense, with culture and identity carrying more weight than simply chasing positional needs. Its a notable shift for a team that has already started reshaping the group with rookie additions and the return of Precious Achiuwa, while also leaning into conditioning and the kind of work habits Perry wants to define the next few seasons.
The bigger question now is how that philosophy translates to the rest of the roster, because Sacramento still has to sort out what the team actually needs most. Perry has left the door open on whether the next move should be a backup point guard, another wing or more frontcourt depth, and that uncertainty sits alongside the usual offseason noise around some of the Kings biggest names. For now, the message is clear enough: the front office wants a harder, more defensive team, even if the final shape of it is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Fans Get A Big Hint Before Vegas Debut Tonight
The Kings open Las Vegas Summer League against the Clippers with a little more clarity around their roster plans, and Alex Karaban is set to make his debut after getting past an ankle issue that kept him out earlier in camp. For a team using Summer League to sort through combinations and build out its rotation, getting a first look at Karaban matters, especially with Sacramento still trying to see how its newer pieces fit together.
Maxime Raynaud, meanwhile, will sit out while he continues recovering from the travel grind after playing with the French national team. Sacramento would like to keep layering in its players and find a better rhythm as the week goes on, and there is at least a chance the Kings can get a fuller look at Karaban and Raynaud together later in Summer League. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Just Sent A Telling Message About Russell Westbrook's Return
Scott Perrys latest comments offered a pretty clear look at where Sacramento stands in the market for Russell Westbrook. The Kings general manager said he still has admiration for the veteran guard, but the teams financial picture remains tight after a summer of roster trimming and reshuffling, including the decision to waive DeMar DeRozan and bring back Precious Achiuwa on a new deal.
Westbrook is a free agent again after spending last season on a minimum contract, and his level of play still makes him an interesting fit for a team looking for backcourt help. But Sacramentos cap reality has been a recurring theme, and with trade chatter still swirling around the roster, Perrys tone suggested the Kings are balancing respect for Westbrooks resume with the limits of what they can realistically put on the table. [Read more 🡒]