The Sacramento Kings have spent the last few seasons chasing something that has slipped through their fingers: consistency.
There’s been no shortage of talent in Sacramento, but the pieces have not always fit, and the team has too often looked like a collection of names instead of a functioning unit. A shaky roster build and a constant shuffle at head coach have kept the Kings from settling into anything stable. This season, that has to change.
During the Monte McNair era, Sacramento seemed determined to stockpile shooting guards while the point guard situation unraveled. The Kings traded Tyrese Haliburton to get Domantas Sabonis and pushed De'Aaron Fox out with bad decisions. Now the front office is trying to chart a different course.
This season, rookie Darius Acuff is starting at point guard, with Ben Simmons behind him. The roster is more balanced than it was, even if there’s still work to do. It’s not perfect, but it is a step toward real improvement.
The bigger issue may be on the sideline. Doug Christie is back as head coach, but his contract includes a team option for next season.
If 2026-2027 goes poorly, there’s a legitimate chance he won’t be back for 2027-2028. The possibility of another coaching change still hangs over the franchise.
That kind of instability makes it hard to build anything lasting. The Kings need to play like a team, not just a group of individuals who have their own moments.
Last season had some individual success stories, but Sacramento rarely clicked as a cohesive group. That sort of chemistry depends on a steady roster and a coach who can keep everything pointed in the same direction.
There is at least a foundation forming. The Kings are rebuilding around Acuff and other young players such as Maxime Raynaud, Dylan Cardwell, Emanuel Sharp, and Alex Karaban. Sacramento also has some intriguing talent in the pipeline that will matter down the line.
Christie now carries the responsibility of turning that mix into something consistent. His first season as bench boss was not a strong one, though he was working through the wreckage of the disastrous 2024-2025 season and a nearly historic wave of season-ending injuries.
Sacramento is giving Christie another shot in 2026-2027, but the margin for patience is thin. If the Kings want to become a team that can actually sustain success, they need stability. And that starts with a coach who can deliver it.
In Other News...
Kings Cost Cutting Move Looks Worse With Another Toronto Payoff
What looked like a straightforward cost-cutting move for Sacramento last summer has aged in an increasingly awkward way. The Kings sent Sasha Vezenkov and Davion Mitchell to Toronto for Jalen McDaniels and two second-round picks, a deal that was supposed to help reshape the roster while trimming money from the books, but the return has done little to quiet second-guessing.
Vezenkov eventually headed back to Europe after a buyout with the Raptors, while Toronto turned those picks into Alijah Martin and Jamal Shead, with Shead already landing a three-year contract extension. Mitchell, meanwhile, is now with the Miami Heat and appears to be their starting point guard, another reminder that Sacramentos decision moved on from a useful guard while Toronto kept finding ways to turn the deal into more value. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Linked To Young Shooter Who Could Fit Steve Kerr Perfectly
Jordan Hawkins is suddenly on the market after a fast-moving stretch that saw the former UConn standout, taken 14th overall by New Orleans in 2023, traded to Memphis and then waived. It is a reminder that first-round pedigree only goes so far in the NBA, especially for a young guard whose biggest selling point is still the same one that got him drafted in the first place: the ability to space the floor and punish defenses when the shot is falling.
For a team like the Kings, who have long valued offense and perimeter creation, a player such as Hawkins at least fits the profile of a low-risk flier with upside. Sacramento is not alone in that thinking, either, with Dallas and Golden State also mentioned as logical landing spots for the same reason: each could use shooting, each could give him a clear role, and each offers a style of play that might finally help him settle in as a reliable NBA weapon. [Read more 🡒]
De'Andre Hunter Suddenly Looks Like A Huge Kings X Factor
De'Andre Hunter has barely had a chance to show what he can mean for Sacramento since arriving in last Februarys trade, and the injury that cut his first season short only made the wait longer. With preseason opening on the horizon, the Kings finally have a healthier version of the wing in camp, and Hunter says he is ready to play after spending much of his early tenure sidelined.
For Sacramento, that matters because Hunter brings exactly the kind of two-way flexibility the roster can use, especially on a team trying to get more versatile on defense without sacrificing scoring support. He spoke about that defensive versatility himself, and with an expiring contract in hand, he has a chance to make a strong early case that he can be more than a name in the middle of a trade package. [Read more 🡒]