The Sacramento Kings are heading into the new season with plenty of doubt hanging over them, and the early projections have done little to ease that feeling. Around the league, the outlook has been bleak enough that more than one outlet has them sitting in dead last going into 2026-2027.
That kind of pessimism is easy to understand when you look at the picture in Sacramento. The roster is packed with veterans coming back from injuries, young players who are still learning how to survive at the NBA level, and a head coach that not many people seem sold on. It’s not the profile of a team built to make a jump.
The Kings are still deep in a rebuild that has years left to run. They’ve had some success in the last couple of drafts, but the real work is still ahead: turning those rookies and sophomores into dependable NBA players. Some of that group may need a lot more time than others.
There’s also the financial squeeze. Sacramento is still dealing with the huge contracts of Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, and those deals have limited how much the team can chase help on the free agent market. Until those contracts are moved, the franchise’s options remain tight.
The coaching situation is another part of the puzzle. The Kings have made some positive additions to the staff recently, which is a step in the right direction. Still, Doug Christie remains something of a question mark after a first season that almost nobody felt good about.
General manager Scott Perry has been upfront about how long this process is going to take. He has made it clear from the start that rebuilding the Kings would not be quick, and that the team would have to get worse before it got better. Two good drafts, in his view, were never going to be enough to make Sacramento relevant again.
That’s why the range of projections feels so grim. The low end has the Kings at 18 and 64, while the high end only gets them to 22 and 60. There’s a path to doing better than 22 wins, but not by much.
And if Sacramento slips below 18 and 64? That wouldn’t be shocking either.
It wouldn’t be the end of the road, either. This is a long, uneven climb, and the Kings are still living through the messy middle of it.
In Other News...
Kings Camp Buzz Is Building Around Two Names Fans Can't Ignore
Training camp is already giving the Kings a couple of names to watch, with Doug Christie singling out Darius Acuff Jr. and Ben Simmons as early standouts. Christie pointed to Acuffs coachability as one of the qualities that has helped him get noticed quickly, while Sacramentos new point guard addition has brought a different kind of intrigue to the gym, with his defensive versatility standing out right away.
Scott Perry also offered a positive read on Acuffs potential impact as a rookie, adding to the sense that the Kings may have found a young player worth tracking closely. Simmons, meanwhile, arrives on a one-year deal after spending last season away for health reasons, and his return gives Sacramento a possible defensive upgrade at a time when the team is trying to sharpen its edge before opening night. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Simmons Could Create A Kings Rebuild Problem Fast
The Kings brought Ben Simmons in on a one-year veteran minimum deal to fill a specific role, with the expectation that he would back up Darius Acuff Jr. and help steady the second unit. After a season away while recovering, Simmons is back in the NBA, but Sacramento is clearly approaching the situation with caution. The idea is to keep his workload manageable and use this year as part of a broader youth movement, one that puts rookies and sophomores on the floor more often as the organization keeps its eyes on the future.
Ben Simmons, though, can complicate that plan quickly if he looks anything like the versatile defender and playmaker the Kings hoped to add. Sacramento wants development minutes to go to its younger players, not to a veteran whose presence could naturally pull touches and possessions toward him if he earns more court time. For a team trying to rebuild the right way, the challenge will be balancing Simmons health and utility against the need to stay committed to the kids who are supposed to define the next phase. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Are Testing How Much Ben Simmons Can Change This Team
Ben Simmons arrived at Kings training camp in noticeably better shape after spending last season rehabbing, and Sacramento is already using the early days to see just how many jobs he can handle. Coaches and teammates have seen the same thing that has defined his career at his best: a big, versatile playmaker who can start offense, move the ball, and defend across multiple positions without needing the system built entirely around him.
For a Kings team looking for ways to get more out of its lineup, Simmons offers a different kind of piece than the usual perimeter scorer or spacing-first forward. The challenge is obvious, though, because his limited shooting still shapes how he has to be used, and camp is now less about whether he fits and more about how far Sacramento can push his value without compromising the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]