The Sacramento Kings are nowhere near ready to talk about contending in the Western Conference, and maybe that’s not even the right conversation yet. Right now, the bar should be a lot simpler: make people want to watch.
That’s the clearest lesson from last season, which went off the rails fast. After the firing of Mike Brown and the departure of De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento was left with a roster that never really fit together. The front office kept reshuffling the pieces, then handed the job to a rookie head coach who still has plenty to prove.
The result was brutal. The Kings finished 2025-2026 at 22 wins and 60 losses, and they also put together a historically bad 16-game losing streak.
But the record wasn’t even the whole problem. The bigger issue was that the team just wasn’t much fun.
Losing is easier to stomach when the product has some juice. Most nights, Sacramento didn’t have that.
There was one clear exception. As more rookies got real minutes, the games started to look and feel better. The Beam Boys - Maxime Raynaud, Dylan Cardwell, Nique Clifford, and Precious Achiuwa - brought energy and edge to a roster that otherwise looked drained and out of sync.
That’s the kind of spark the Kings need to chase again in 2026-2027. Fans gravitated toward the Beam Boys because they weren’t just competing; they were playing entertaining basketball.
Even in losses, they gave people something to latch onto. Russell Westbrook was the only other player on the roster last season who consistently added any real joy.
If Sacramento wants the league to start paying attention, the first step is obvious. The Kings need to become a team that shows up on social media, a team that fills highlight reels, a team that gets talked about on ESPN. Maybe even a team that earns a rare kind word from Charles Barkley.
That comes before everything else. Wins will matter eventually, but they’ll come with time, experience, and a lot of work. And there’s still plenty of sorting to do, because the front office has more than a few players on the roster it will need to make hard decisions about.
For now, the mission is straightforward: play with energy, give the crowd something to cheer, and make people watching from home wish they were in the building. If the Kings can do that, they can start changing the story around the team long before the wins really arrive.
In Other News...
Former Kings Guard Dennis Schroder Landed In Another Strange NBA Spot
Dennis Schroders NBA journey took another sharp turn this week, with the veteran guard landing in Charlotte after a trade from Cleveland. For a player who has spent years moving through the league, this latest stop adds another layer to a career already defined by constant motion, and it gives the Hornets another experienced ballhandler to plug into a roster that is still taking shape.
The deal also underscores just how unusual Schroders path has become. Charlotte is the third team he has suited up for in the 2026 calendar year, and if he stays put the rest of the way, he would reach 12 NBA teams played for by the time this stint is over. For Sacramento fans who remember his stop in purple and black, it is another reminder that Schroders name tends to pop up wherever the leagues more surprising transaction cycles are happening. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Poole Just Sparked A Real Kings Debate Fans Will Understand
A strange rumor circulated this week claiming Jordan Poole had been waived by New Orleans and was suddenly on the radar for Sacramento, Golden State and Miami, which was enough to get Kings fans talking before it was even fully sorted out. The report itself didnt hold up, but the reaction did, because Poole remains the kind of name that naturally invites debate for a team still looking to define its backcourt direction.
Poole is 27, coming off an expiring contract, and his recent play has only sharpened the conversation around what kind of next stop makes sense for him. For Sacramento, the interest was always more about fit than fact, with fans weighing whether his scoring talent would be worth the volatility that comes with him. Even after the rumor fell apart, the larger question around Pooles future still feels very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Schedule Sets Up One Clear Test Of This Rebuild
The Kings now know the shape of their 2026-27 grind, and it starts with a familiar measuring stick. Sacramento opens and closes the season on the road against the Clippers, a pair of games that immediately frame the year as one long test of how far this rebuild has come. The schedule also gives the Kings repeated chances to see where they stand against Los Angeles and the rest of the Western Conference, which is exactly the kind of matchup-rich slate that can show whether the progress is real.
For a team still trying to climb back into the leagues upper-middle tier, those games matter because they strip away the noise. The Clippers offer a clear benchmark, and Sacramento will see them multiple times as the season unfolds, with other Western matchups sprinkled throughout the calendar. Compared with the previous season, the schedule looks a bit more manageable, which gives the Kings a better runway, but the real story will be whether they can use those chances to turn a rebuilding year into something sturdier. [Read more 🡒]