The Sacramento Kings head into the 2026-27 season with a rebuild already in motion, but the real question is how long they’ll let this thing breathe before deciding it needs a full reset.
After a brutal 22-win campaign, Sacramento does not need a miracle to show progress. Still, another year stuck in the low 20s - or worse, down in the teens the way some around the NBA are projecting - would be a problem. The roster turnover under Scott Perry is still in its early stages, but the Kings have enough talent on paper to avoid living at the bottom of the league.
That said, there’s a very real chance the front office decides to get aggressive if things go sideways. A full-sale teardown is on the table, whether that means moving Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk for pennies on the dollar at the deadline or telling Zach LaVine to sit at home and wait out the rest of his contract. The Kings could choose speed over patience if the season turns ugly fast.
The new draft lottery odds make the path a little trickier, but they don’t guarantee Sacramento’s current roster will still look the same when the year ends. That puts the pressure on the organization to decide what matters more: trying to win now or opening the door for the young players as much as possible.
Last season, the Kings didn’t fully pull the plug on the veterans until around 60 games in. Even after that, DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook kept showing up and producing every night. If the losses start piling up early this time, Sacramento may be better off giving its younger players those minutes sooner rather than waiting as long as it did a year ago.
Doug Christie’s situation adds another layer to the uncertainty. Scott Perry handed Christie the head coaching job, but Christie was already in the building as the interim coach and a fan favorite during the 2025 offseason. Perry and Christie appear aligned on the team’s style and direction, but until Christie gets an extension, the questions around the pairing aren’t going anywhere.
Christie is entering his second full season as head coach after stepping in as the interim for Mike Brown in the 2024-25 season. His salary for this year is extremely low, around $2 million, and the Kings also hold a team option for next season that they’ll have to sort through.
The franchise’s recent coaching history only sharpens the pressure. Brown lasted 31 games, going 13-18, before Sacramento moved on.
Luke Walton got even less time, lasting just 17 games and going 6-11 before the Kings made a change. Both of those decisions came under Monte McNair, but the pattern suggests Christie could have roughly 25 games to show enough improvement to keep the job secure for the full season.
If the losses come quickly, Perry may be forced into an early move.
In a perfect world, Sacramento would keep building momentum after selecting Darius Acuff Jr. But the Kings rarely get to live in that kind of ideal scenario.
In Other News...
Kings Just Created Flexibility Around Darius Acuff Jr's Biggest Need
The Kings have quietly opened a little more breathing room in their roster construction by restructuring DeMar DeRozans remaining deal, spreading the $10 million owed across the next three seasons and trimming about $7 million from this years payroll. The move keeps Sacramento below the luxury tax threshold and gives the front office some much-needed flexibility as it works to round out the roster.
That matters because rookie Darius Acuff Jr. is currently the only dedicated point guard on the team, and the need for another organizer is obvious. Sacramento is now in position to pursue veteran help for those final two spots, with names like Ben Simmons and Cam Payne in the mix as the Kings try to stabilize the backcourt around their young guard. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durants Reaction To Russell Westbrooks Retirement Will Hit Thunder Fans
Russell Westbrooks decision to retire after 18 NBA seasons closed the book on one of the leagues most electric careers, and it also sparked a familiar round of reflection from one of his most notable former teammates. Kevin Durant, in a recent interview, said Westbrooks announcement caught him off guard while looking back on the years they shared together in Oklahoma City, where the two helped define a memorable era for Thunder basketball.
Westbrook had offers from the Kings and the Wizards before deciding to walk away, a reminder that there were still paths left if he wanted to keep going. Instead, he leaves with an MVP award, multiple All-Star nods and a legacy that already has people around the league revisiting what he meant to the Thunder, and Durants reaction only adds another layer to a retirement that will linger in Oklahoma City for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face A Brutal Reality Fans Know All Too Well
The latest ESPN NBA Summer Forecast is not exactly a comforting read for Sacramento, putting the Kings at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 19-win projection for the 2026-27 season. It is the kind of forecast that lands especially hard for a franchise already coming off a 22-60 finish, even if the bigger picture still points toward a rebuild built around a young core.
Rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. is the face of that next wave, and the hope in Sacramento is that development and chemistry can make the gap between expectation and reality a little less bleak. The forecast itself leaves room for that possibility, suggesting the Kings could land closer to 25 wins if the right pieces stay healthy and start fitting together, which at least gives this roster something more concrete to chase than another long season of empty nights. [Read more 🡒]