The Kings have enough reasons to avoid chasing another shooting guard. Keldon Johnson still stands out as the exception.
That’s because Johnson has already shown he can shift roles without losing his edge. After spending a long stretch in San Antonio’s starting five, he embraced a move to the bench and turned it into a major success story. For a Sacramento roster trying to build the right kind of depth, that matters.
Johnson entered the league in 2019 when the Spurs took him 29th overall in the first round. Before that, he put together a solid freshman season at Kentucky and was named SEC Freshman of the Year by the coaches in 2019. He landed in San Antonio at a difficult moment: the franchise had just wrapped up 22 straight playoff trips and five championships, but the team Johnson joined was heading into a run of six consecutive seasons without a postseason berth.
Even so, he became part of the turnaround. After three strong drafts in a row, including the addition of Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs reached the 2026 finals against the Knicks. Johnson played a major part in that climb and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year for 2026.
What makes him such a clean fit for Sacramento is the blend of skill and willingness. He’s the Spurs’ longest-tenured player now, and instead of fighting the bench role, he attacked it. He gives a team scoring punch off the bench, brings a hard-nosed defensive presence across positions, and plays with the kind of physical force that can wear opponents down.
There’s also a realistic path to him becoming available. San Antonio is in solid financial shape at the moment, but future extensions for expensive pieces like Wemby and Stephon Castle could force the Spurs to be selective with other contracts. That leaves open the possibility that Johnson doesn’t get an extension and reaches unrestricted free agency.
If that happens in the 2027 offseason, Sacramento could have room to make a move. The Kings could let their own UFAs, De'Andre Hunter and Zach LaVine, walk and create enough cap space to go after Johnson. At 27 then, he’d still be early in his prime and already have the kind of experience Sacramento would want in a bench weapon.
In Other News...
Kings Just Lost A Summer League Option Fans Were Watching
Marquel Sutton was one of the more encouraging storylines out of Sacramentos Summer League run, giving the Kings a useful look at a player who stood out with his 3-point shooting and defense. The former Summit League Player of the Year, who spent time in college at Omaha and LSU, showed enough in Las Vegas to get attention beyond the Kings orbit.
Sutton has since moved on to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Chicago Bulls, leaving Sacramento without one of the Summer League options fans had been tracking. For a team always trying to uncover undervalued pieces, it is a reminder that a strong July performance can quickly turn into an opportunity elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Still Face One Last Roster Decision Fans Will Debate
The Kings have already spent much of the offseason reshaping the back end of the roster, bringing in rookies, trading Devin Carter, waiving DeMar DeRozan and bringing back Precious Achiuwa. Even after those moves, Sacramento is still not quite finished. The team has 13 players on standard contracts and needs at least one more before opening night, which leaves one final slot for the front office to sort through as it balances immediate fit with a little roster flexibility.
Point guard remains the most obvious place to look, and Russell Westbrook is among the names that could still enter the conversation if Sacramento wants a veteran option. The Kings also have younger free-agent possibilities to consider, but the more practical answer may already be on the roster in another form, with Jonathan Mogbo sitting on a two-way deal and in position to force the issue before the season arrives. This is the kind of late summer decision fans tend to debate most, because it says a lot about whether the Kings want one more established hand or prefer to round out the group by promoting from within. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Interest In Jonathan Kuminga May Hit A Familiar Wall
Jonathan Kumingas free agency has already become a test of how badly interested teams want to get creative, and Sacramento appears to be one of them. The Kings have been linked to the young forward, but their pursuit comes with the same hard financial realities that have complicated so many of their recent roster-building efforts, leaving them looking for a way to stay in the mix without the freedom to simply outbid anyone.
A sign-and-trade could be the path that keeps Sacramento alive here, with DeAndre Hunter and draft picks emerging as the kind of framework that might get the conversation moving. Even then, the Kings are not operating from a position of strength, and Kumingas attention seems to be drifting toward other suitors such as the Lakers, which only raises the pressure on Sacramento to find a workable answer before the market moves on without them. [Read more 🡒]