The Sacramento Kings may have veterans who could be moved, but the idea of dealing away certain younger pieces looks far-fetched right now. Outside of Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and Malik Monk, it’s difficult to picture the front office parting with anyone on the roster at this stage. If the Kings make a major swing this offseason, the more likely path would be shipping out veterans and leaning even further into youth.
Still, not every player is on equal footing. There are a few names Sacramento would almost certainly shut down immediately if another team called. Keegan Murray sits near the top of that list.
It’s fair to say Murray may not be fully “untouchable,” but he is awfully close to that territory. The Kings have reportedly brushed off trade talk around him before, and there’s little reason to think that changes now. His value on defense stands out most, and Sacramento is clearly waiting for his offense to come back around so he can put the whole package together as a true two-way force.
The long-term hope remains intact. Murray may never become the All-Star some envisioned, but the Kings still view him as one of the most important players they can build around over time. At the moment, there’s no realistic path to him being moved.
Maxime Raynaud has also worked his way into protected status, even though he arrived as a second-round pick last year. He was the only non-lottery pick to land All-Rookie honors last season, and there’s already a strong belief that he could become Sacramento’s center of the future once the Sabonis era ends.
At 7-foot-1 and coming out of France, Raynaud brings skill and mobility that make him stand out for a player his size. He’s shown hints of handling the ball and creating in a way that echoes what Sabonis has done for years. In his rookie season, Raynaud put up 14.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game across 56 starts while shooting 58.2% from the field and 35.1% from three.
That kind of start buys a lot of patience. The Kings aren’t about to move him before they see where his development goes, and it would take a major sophomore slump for them to start doubting the upside.
Then there’s Darius Acuff Jr., the seventh-overall pick in this year’s draft, who isn’t going anywhere. Sacramento is fully invested in the 19-year-old point guard and believes he can grow into the franchise lead guard.
There are questions about his defense, but the offensive talent is obvious. Smaller, scoring-focused guards don’t always end up leading winning teams, though there have been exceptions, and Acuff Jr. has the tools to be one of them. For now, the Kings are all in, and it would take a couple of rough seasons before they’d even begin to consider changing course.
In Other News...
Kings Fans Know These Draft Regrets Still Hurt Today
Even by the standards of a franchise that has lived through plenty of draft-day second guessing, the Kings have a catalog of what-ifs that still hangs over the teams recent history. Sacramento had the kind of premium picks that can alter a rebuild, only to watch a long list of future stars come off the board to other teams while the Kings moved in different directions.
The names alone tell the story: Jalen Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard, and the Luka Doncic-Trae Young decision all linger as reminders of how thin the margin can be in the draft. The pain is not just in who got away, but in how those choices shaped the franchises path, leaving Sacramento to keep measuring present progress against the consequences of those missed chances. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Interest In Jonathan Kuminga Just Hit A Serious Roadblock
Jonathan Kumingas market has started to separate into clear tiers, and the Kings are sitting in the lower one. Sacramento has shown interest in the restricted free agent forward, but only at the veterans minimum, a level that tells you more about where the team is than where Kuminga sees himself. Around the league, the Lakers have reportedly made the most aggressive push with a sign-and-trade framework worth about $45 million, while Cleveland has already pivoted toward Peyton Watson as another option.
For Sacramento, the bigger issue is that Kuminga is not looking for a one-year prove-it deal at that salary. That leaves the Kings in a familiar spot in free agency, trying to compete for a young player with upside without stepping into the kind of financial commitment that would change their roster plans. Unless that stance changes, the gap between what Sacramento wants to offer and what Kuminga is willing to consider is likely to keep this chase from going anywhere. [Read more 🡒]