The Sacramento Kings have plenty of buzz heading into the 2026-27 season, and most of it starts with the new faces who are already grabbing attention. Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 pick, looks like the kind of player who can reshape a franchise.
Emanuel Sharp, taken in the second round, has already flashed enough to make people call him a draft-day steal. Add in the return of sophomores Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell, and there’s real optimism in Sacramento.
But one rookie has slipped into the background: Alex Karaban.
The Kings traded back into the late first round to land Karaban at No. 29, and plenty of fans were excited about that move on draft night. Since then, though, a quiet Summer League has left him looking like the forgotten name in a class full of louder storylines.
That’s a mistake, because Karaban brings something the other young Kings mostly don’t: size.
At 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Karaban has the frame of a true wing and the potential to become a switchable combo forward who can handle either the small forward or power forward spot. The athleticism isn’t elite, and that may ultimately push him more toward power forward than wing, but either way, Sacramento badly needs what he can offer on the perimeter.
Among the Kings’ six first- or second-year players - Clifford, Raynaud, Cardwell, Acuff, Sharp, and Karaban - he’s the only one who brings that kind of length on the outside. Clifford is the closest thing to it, but he profiles more as a 2/3 combo wing than a 3/4 like Karaban.
That’s why his development matters so much. If Karaban grows into a starter or even a strong bench piece, Sacramento could lock down one of the toughest spots to fill in today’s NBA: a long forward who can space the floor.
And Karaban has already shown he can shoot it. He hit 37.4% of his threes over a four-year college career, and he did it on 5.2 attempts per game.
That’s not the kind of number that screams coincidence. He looks like a real threat from deep at power forward, something the Kings haven’t had since Trey Lyles left.
Keegan Murray can be part of that discussion too, but there are still questions about whether he’s best suited as a three or a four, and he still has to prove he can hit threes at a high rate to fully reenter that conversation.
If Karaban turns into more than just a developmental swing, it changes more than one roster spot. It changes the way Sacramento can approach next offseason and beyond. A reliable rotation player there could be the difference between the Kings chasing Jonathan Kuminga with a huge offer or going after another major wing target.
The Kings have no shortage of variables entering the season, but Karaban deserves a spot near the top of the list. His size, his position, and his shooting touch could end up having a major impact on where this team goes next.
In Other News...
Kings Already Face One Alex Karaban Decision That Really Matters
ESPNs projected depth chart already gives a hint of how the Kings may view Alex Karaban, slotting the rookie as a third-string small forward and fifth-string power forward. That kind of placement is hardly unusual for a late first-round pick, but it does underline the challenge ahead for Sacramento as it tries to turn a traded-up draft choice into a meaningful piece rather than just another name buried behind veterans.
Scott Perry spent picks to move near the end of the first round and bring Karaban in at the 2026 NBA Draft, so the real question now is how the Kings plan to get him on the floor often enough to matter. The depth chart is only a projection, and for a team that made that kind of investment, even small shifts in his role could say a lot about how quickly Sacramento wants to accelerate his development. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Still Have A Late Offseason Question Worth Watching
The late-summer roster shuffle around the NBA still has a few moving parts, and the Cavaliers are one of the teams worth watching as the calendar creeps toward the Oct. 20 start of the 2026-27 season. With major names already changing addresses, from LeBron James landing with the 76ers to Giannis Antetokounmpo going to the Heat, the leagues landscape has been reshaped in a hurry, but a handful of clubs are still leaving themselves room for one more decision before camp fully takes over.
Open roster spots remain around the league, and that leaves the Cavaliers with at least one unresolved question as they sort out the final edges of their roster. Some expected business, like Jalen Duren returning to his current team, may get settled without much drama, but other situations could still turn on a signing or a waiver before opening night. For a team trying to make sure every spot is accounted for, the next move may be less about splash than about timing. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Could Be Back On The Kings Radar Soon
Jonathan Kumingas next move has already been shaped by an eye on the future, and that is exactly why he remains one of the more intriguing names for teams like the Kings to monitor. He signed a two-year, $13 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves that includes a player option for the second season, and his agent, Aaron Turner, said the choice was made with basketball fit and flexibility in mind rather than simply taking the biggest immediate payday.
Kuminga had previously passed on a richer extension from the Golden State Warriors, a reminder that the long view matters here as much as any single contract. With his camp positioning him for the 2027 free agency market and multiple cap-space teams expected to have interest next offseason, Sacramento will have reason to stay plugged in if its own roster plans and appetite for another swing at upside line up at the right time. [Read more 🡒]