The Sacramento Kings have spent the offseason reshaping the roster, and with so many younger players drawing attention, one name seems to be getting less credit than it should: DeAndre Hunter.
Hunter arrived in Sacramento in the middle of the 2025 season after a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Kings ended up with a forward who can help on both sides of the floor. He’s been a steady presence for most of his career, and there’s a strong case that he could matter a lot more than he’s being given credit for heading into 2026-2027.
The numbers back that up. Last season, Hunter averaged 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, two assists, and 0.7 steals per game.
He also shot 41.5 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from three-point range, and 86.7 percent from the free-throw line. That’s the profile of a player who can fill multiple roles without needing the offense built around him.
His short run with the Kings wasn’t nearly as clean. In two games with Sacramento in 2025, Hunter averaged 7.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, zero steals, and zero blocks per game while shooting 21.1 percent from the field, 22.2 percent from three, and 83.3 percent from the line. It was a rough tiny sample, but it doesn’t erase what he did across the rest of the season.
What makes Hunter especially useful is what he brings defensively. At 6-7 and 221 pounds, he has the size and physical edge to guard nearly every position, giving the Kings more room to switch and match up in different ways. That kind of versatility can quietly change how a team functions.
He’s also heading into his ninth NBA season, which means Sacramento isn’t just getting production - it’s getting experience. That matters on a roster with young talent, both for what Hunter can still do on the floor and for the presence he can provide around the group.
If he turns that defensive versatility, veteran know-how, and steady offensive game into the right fit in Sacramento, Hunter has a real chance to become one of the pieces that helps push the Kings forward in 2026.
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Kings What If From 2017 Still Cuts Deep Today
Seven years later, the Kings 2017 draft still lingers as one of those franchise touchstones that gets revisited whenever the conversation turns to what might have been. Sacramento took DeAaron Fox at No. 5 overall and Zach Collins at No. 10, moves made with a clear eye toward building around speed, fit and familiarity. In hindsight, a Bleacher Report redraft swapping in OG Anunoby and Josh Hart only sharpens the sense that this was one of the pivotal nights in the organizations recent history.
Former Kings executive Vlade Divac has spoken about why the team stuck with Fox instead of chasing Luka Doni, pointing to market fit and relationships as part of the equation. Those are the kinds of decisions that can define a front office for years, and for Sacramento, the 2017 class remains a reminder of how thin the line can be between a foundation and a missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Karaban Could Push Into The Kings Rotation Faster Than Expected
Alex Karaban arrives in Sacramento with a profile the Kings can at least imagine using sooner rather than later. Drafted by Cleveland at No. 29 and then sent to the Kings, the UConn product brings the kind of size and efficient offensive game that can make a rookie easier to fold into a rotation, especially for a team always looking for useful minutes on the wing and up front.
Karabans college track record gives him a real case for early opportunity, with 151 games at UConn and steady production across the board. The bigger question for Sacramento is whether that success translates cleanly to the NBA game, because that answer will go a long way toward determining how quickly he can push into the Kings' rotation during his first season. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face One Real Roster Question With Final Spot Still Open
The Kings still have one open roster spot, and it has become the kind of late-summer question that can quietly shape the rest of a season. Sacramento already has 17 players under contract, including Ben Simmons and Elfrid Payton, so any addition now would be less about filling a headline need and more about deciding whether the last place goes to another veteran option or a younger player who might grow into the role.
Cam Whitmore is one of the names worth watching after being waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers, since he fits the Kings timeline as a young wing. The issue, as always with a crowded roster this time of year, is whether there will be enough playing time to make that kind of upside move worthwhile. Sacramento has not announced any signing involving Whitmore, which leaves the final spot open and the decision very much unresolved. [Read more 🡒]