The Sacramento Kings are not acting like a team ready to panic at the first sign of pressure. With several expensive veterans on the roster, they’re keeping their powder dry and making it clear they won’t settle for weak trade returns just to move money.
Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk and DeAndre Hunter sit among the team’s highest-paid players, and all four are expected to open the season in Sacramento. LaVine is on a $49 million player option, Sabonis is owed $94 million, Monk has $41.8 million left over the next two seasons, and Hunter is in the final year of the four-year, $90 million rookie extension he signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2023, worth $21.9 million this season.
That doesn’t mean the Kings are locked into this group forever. The picture could shift by the 2027 trade deadline, and LaVine looks like the biggest swing piece. If Sacramento does decide to move the 12-year veteran, the return has to matter.
“They’re not just going to take back long-term money and second-round assets that they don’t want,” ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel said on Sactown Sports' "The Drive Guys" on Wednesday. “It would be a deal that the Kings would be in the driver’s seat for.”
Detroit has come up as a possible landing spot for LaVine, with the Pistons in need of another ball-handler and scorer alongside Cade Cunningham. They already missed out on Austin Reaves, who re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $180 million contract, and that kind of setback can leave a team more vulnerable to making a move when the deadline arrives.
Siegel said the same kind of logic applies to Monk. Right now, he doesn’t see teams actively chasing Sacramento’s sixth man, but that can change fast if a contender decides it needs scoring help.
Hunter may be the easiest name to keep in the fold. He still hasn’t had a real stretch of time under coach Doug Christie after an eye injury ended his season just two games after the Kings acquired him from the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the right offer doesn’t show up, Sacramento sounds willing to wait.
“If the Kings don’t like the value that they’re getting, I think Scott Perry’s going to be more than comfortable holding on to him and possibly extending him on a lower-rate, team-friendly deal,” Siegel said.
Sabonis remains the biggest question hanging over all of it. He’s already been included in multiple mock trades, including one sending him to the Brooklyn Nets and another to the Charlotte Hornets.
There was also a sign-and-trade idea involving Pistons center Jalen Duren and the Kings, but Detroit has the final say because Duren is a restricted free agent. The Pistons want to keep their 22-year-old All-Star, which likely shuts down the most realistic path that would have led to Sabonis being moved.
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Kings Close Summer League With The Kind Of Finish Fans Needed
The Kings finished Summer League on a high note Saturday at Cox Pavilion, edging the Hornets 92-90 in a game that gave Sacramento a little of the late-game poise it had been looking for. Emanuel Sharp led the way with 16 points, Jonathan Mogbo added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Alex Karaban also finished with 14 as the Kings got useful production from a group that has spent the month trying to sort out roles and rhythms.
Sacramento did it without several familiar faces, resting rookie Darius Acuff Jr. along with Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud, while Dylan Cardwell was sidelined by left thumb soreness. Even so, the Kings were able to close the door after letting a 15-point first-half lead slip away, and the finish offered a cleaner ending than the way the game had started. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Are Betting Big On Darius Acuff Jr Becoming More Than A Scorer
Darius Acuff Jr. has made a loud first impression in Sacramentos Summer League run, showing why the Kings were intrigued by his scoring punch in the first place. Through his first two games, the rookie has piled up 47 points while also contributing across the box score with rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, a reminder that his debut has been about more than just getting buckets.
The bigger question around Acuff is how quickly the rest of his game catches up, especially on defense, where there are still legitimate concerns. General manager Scott Perry is betting that Acuffs competitive edge, paired with Doug Christies system and a roster that now includes more defense-minded pieces, will help round him out into more than a scorer. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Cardwell May Be Giving The Kings Something They've Been Missing
As the Kings keep reshaping the roster, Dylan Cardwell has started to stand out for something that does not always show up in a box score. During the 2025-2026 season, he has been recognized for his leadership and the way he has influenced the teams culture, with a growing reputation as the kind of player who helps set the tone in a rebuilding locker room.
Cardwell has talked about accountability and the responsibility that comes with being one of the voices around younger players like Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford. For a Kings team trying to establish a new standard, that matters, even if there is still plenty of development ahead for both the roster and the role Cardwell is carving out for himself. [Read more 🡒]