The Sacramento Kings are walking into next season with real draft danger hanging over them. Under the new “3-2-1” lottery reform rules, a bottom-three finish comes with punishment: two lottery balls and just a 5.4% shot at the No. 1 pick. For a team already dealing with financial limits and a shaky defensive foundation, that is a nasty place to live.
Sacramento does not have much room to maneuver. General manager Scott Perry has only the veteran’s minimum to work with in free agency, which leaves the Kings with almost no flexibility to reshape the roster. That also makes it harder to keep players, including veteran guard Russell Westbrook, because Perry is not in a position to lose useful pieces and replace them with much of anything.
So the Kings are heading into the season looking a lot like they did before, with rookies added to the mix and not much else. Last year’s 22-60 record tied them with the Utah Jazz for fourth-worst in the league, and a repeat of that kind of season would put them right back in the “draft relegation zone.”
Injuries were a major reason things fell apart. Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis both had season-ending surgeries, Keegan Murray was bothered by lingering ankle issues, and DeAndre Hunter was limited to two games in a Kings uniform after the trade deadline because of an eye injury.
The roster itself has problems beyond health. Sacramento leans heavily toward offense, with LaVine bringing scoring punch, a 39% mark from three, and the burst to get past defenders. Sabonis works as an offensive hub, using his passing, screens, and touch around cutters to create openings.
Defense is where the trouble really shows up. The Kings allowed 121 points per game, fourth-worst in the league and just 0.5 points behind the Chicago Bulls.
Last season’s record gave Sacramento the seventh overall pick, and the team used it on Darius Acuff Jr. His development will be a priority, but the timing is tricky.
In past seasons, the Kings could let a young player grow while still chasing a top draft slot. Now Acuff is being asked to help keep the team out of the bottom-three trap.
That is the reality of the new lottery setup: bad teams do not get much relief, even when injuries wreck a season. Sacramento has already lived through that version of the problem, and next season could bring more of the same.
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Darius Acuff Jr. arrived in Sacramento with the kind of confidence the Kings have been searching for in a young lead guard. The Arkansas point guard, taken seventh overall in the NBA Draft, has already talked like someone who sees himself as more than a prospect, emphasizing winning, chemistry and the responsibility that comes with running a team. For a franchise still trying to settle on its next identity, that matters almost as much as any summer showcase.
Acuffs early run in Summer League offered both the promise and the caution that usually come with a rookie point guard. He flashed real offensive ability and had one standout scoring night in Las Vegas, but he also showed the efficiency and turnover issues that can follow a young creator adjusting to the pro game. Even so, Sacramentos optimism around him is hard to miss, especially with new general manager Scott Perry in place and the idea growing that Acuff could eventually become the face of the franchise. [Read more 🡒]