The Sacramento Kings haven’t won a playoff series in more than 20 years, and that kind of drought has a way of hanging over everything. Their last series victory came in 2004, when they beat the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the first round and then took down the No. 1-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in seven games.
That run led into one of the most unforgettable Western Conference Finals in NBA history against the Los Angeles Lakers, a series that also went the full seven. Game 7 delivered exactly what it promised. Mike Bibby, who paced the Kings with 29 points, hit the game-tying free throws to force overtime.
Sacramento couldn’t finish the job in the extra period, though, falling 12-6 in overtime and leaving with a loss that still stands as the franchise’s last playoff-series win.
That heartbreak eventually stretched into a 16-year playoff drought before De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis helped end it in the 2022-23 season. The Kings pushed the Golden State Warriors in the first round, but Steph Curry’s 50-point night sent Sacramento home and moved Golden State into the semifinals.
For a team with Sacramento’s history, these things usually don’t resolve quickly. Still, there’s a path for next season to look different if the pieces line up.
General manager Scott Perry added a potential franchise guard in Darius Acuff Jr., a rookie expected to carry real weight on a team projected to lose. Acuff matters because he gives Perry something to build around for the long haul.
Perry also appears set up to make a major move next offseason. For the first time, he’ll have the kind of financial flexibility that could allow the Kings to chase free agents and potentially create max cap space.
At the top of that list is Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, who has been linked with Sacramento since the start of free agency. Duren is reportedly looking for $40 million per year on his rookie extension, while Detroit has offered $35 million. Perry views the 22-year-old as a max player and is prepared to meet that number.
To get there, Duren would have to take the $9.6 million qualifying offer next season, a move that would give him a de facto no-trade clause and set him up to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
The Kings have started laying the groundwork for a roster that could give them a real shot at returning to the playoffs, and maybe finally snapping another franchise drought by winning a series.
In Other News...
Kings Have A Murray Reunion Chance Fans Should Be Watching
Keegan Murray has become one of the Kings most important pieces, so it is hard not to notice the possibility of a family reunion taking shape down the road. His brother Kris Murray is with the Memphis Grizzlies now, but there is already some chatter that his future there could become uncertain before the 2026-27 season, and Sacramento has something plenty of teams do not: roster flexibility and cap room to keep a move like that on the table.
For Kings fans, the appeal goes beyond the novelty of two Murrays in the same locker room. Bringing Kris to Sacramento would give the franchise another young, familiar name to work with as it keeps reshaping the roster, and it would reunite the brothers on an NBA team for the first time since college. It is still only a possibility, not a certainty, but it is the kind of idea that fits both the basketball and the human side of a rebuilding team. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Carters Next Chance May Depend On One Concern Miami Cant Ignore
Devin Carters path back to an NBA roster has become a familiar kind of front-office puzzle: a young guard with real pedigree, a first-round resume from 2024 and a name that still carries some weight in South Florida because of his father, former Heat guard Anthony Carter. After being waived by Atlanta, he is suddenly available again, and Miami has the kind of roster space and cap flexibility that makes this the sort of move it can at least consider without much financial gymnastics.
The appeal is easy to see. Carter has shown scoring touch and defensive energy, two traits that tend to travel well in Miamis system. The hesitation is just as easy to understand, though, because his injuries and uneven playing time have kept his development from settling into a clear rhythm. Heat insider Ira Winderman has pointed out that Miami fits Carters profile, but the more immediate question is whether the team wants to wait and see what else shakes loose on the buyout market instead. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Offseason Leaves One Big Rebuild Question Still Hanging
The Kings have spent the 2026 offseason reshaping the roster in a hurry, adding Darius Acuff Jr., Alex Karaban and Emanuel Sharp in the draft while bringing back Precious Achiuwa and Ben Simmons. Sacramento has also moved on from familiar names like DeMar DeRozan and Devin Carter, and the league-wide news of Russell Westbrooks retirement after 18 seasons only adds to the sense that another era is closing around the team.
Even with all that turnover, the biggest question still hangs over what comes next in Sacramento. The organization is continuing to rebuild piece by piece, but Domantas Sabonis is still viewed as a player the Kings plan to trade eventually, and Zach LaVines future could also become part of the long game if he reaches free agency in 2027. For a team trying to reset without standing still, the real challenge now is making sure the next wave of moves lines up with the one that matters most. [Read more 🡒]