The Sacramento Kings could end up with a pairing that makes life a lot simpler for whoever is building the roster next.
For now, it’s still just a possibility. The Kings are waiting on the contracts of Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk to lose another year or expire, and there’s also the chance Jalen Duren could enter the picture next offseason.
That part is conjecture, of course, since the circumstances would have to break just right for Sacramento to land him as an unrestricted free agent next summer. But if it did happen, the Kings would suddenly have a duo in Acuff and Duren that looks very easy to shape a team around.
The age difference is part of the appeal. Acuff will be 20 and entering his second season, while Duren will be 23 and heading into his sixth year. If both are locked in long term, the Kings could stop chasing stars and start filling in the pieces around them.
The fit works because their games don’t get in each other’s way. Acuff already looks like an elite scorer and playmaker, while Duren brings elite athleticism in the frontcourt, punishing teams at the rim and using his size and speed to help anchor the defense.
That kind of balance matters. Duren doesn’t need touches away from the basket, and Acuff should be more than capable of handling a heavy load from three-point range.
That’s part of what makes this hypothetical so appealing. It would be easier if Duren could stretch the floor, but the Kings wouldn’t need him to do that if Acuff is firing away from deep. The two would naturally cover different jobs, and that gives a roster builder more flexibility than it had with Sacramento’s previous top duo.
Compared with Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, Acuff and Duren should, at least on paper, be easier to build around. Neither Sabonis nor Fox was a knockdown three-point shooter.
Fox did take more threes, but his peak from deep was 36.9% in the 2023-24 season. When your best two players are below-average shooters, the rest of the roster has to carry a huge shooting load, and Sacramento never fully solved that while also keeping the defense where it needed to be.
Acuff may not be a good defender, or even an average one, but Duren’s athleticism behind him should help cover some of that ground. The same couldn’t really be said for Sabonis backing up Fox, or even Sabonis backing up Acuff. If Sacramento ever got to this point, the team would still need plenty of three-and-D help, but the lineup around them could be a little more one-sided than it was with Sabonis and Fox because of the way shooting and defense would be distributed.
And that’s where Scott Perry comes in. Quietly, he’s been working in that direction this offseason.
Perry has one real shot to go all in on this roster, and he’s already taken his swing on Acuff. If the chance comes next season, he appears ready to do the same with Duren.
Nothing is guaranteed until it shows up on the court, if it ever does. But from the outside, the fit makes sense, and that’s enough to see why the Kings would be tempted to push in.
In Other News...
Kings Rebuild Just Reached A Spot Fans Often Overlook
The Kings offseason rebuild has moved beyond roster talk and into the kind of infrastructure changes that can shape a season just as much as a trade or signing. On Sept. 14, the team announced a significant overhaul of its coaching staff, promoting D.J. Ham to assistant coach and bringing in Joe Ajike as head of player development as it continues reshaping the people tasked with guiding the group day to day.
Jason Maxiell also moved up from the Stockton Kings to player development coach, while Brendan Suhr was added as an assistant coach and Imhotep Tap George came aboard as a coaching associate. It is the sort of behind-the-scenes reset fans can easily overlook, but for a franchise in the middle of a broader organizational rebuild, these are the hires that can determine how quickly the next version of the Kings starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Still Face One Big Sabonis Trade Decision
Sacramento has spent the offseason fielding the kind of trade chatter that follows any established star, but Domantas Sabonis has stayed put for one simple reason: the Kings are not treating him like a salary dump. Interest has surfaced from Charlotte, yet the asking price has been high enough that the two sides have not found common ground, with draft capital part of the discussion as Sacramento looks for positive value in return.
Jake Fischer reported that this has become a broader market issue, not just a one-team conversation. Other clubs have been hesitant to match the Kings demands or to give Sabonis the contract extension he wants, which leaves Sacramento in an awkward but familiar spot. For now, the Kings still have their All-Star center, and there is a growing sense they may choose continuity over a reset as they try to stay competitive through the 2026-27 season. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Expansion Draft Talk Puts Some Costly Veterans On Thin Ice
The NBAs reported target of adding two expansion teams in the 2028-29 season has already stirred up a familiar sort of roster anxiety around the league, and Sacramento is no exception. If an expansion draft were held now, each club could protect eight players, forcing front offices to make some uncomfortable choices about which veterans and rotation pieces they can live without.
Bleacher Reports early speculation on the Kings potential exposure included names such as Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, Alex Karaban, Daeqwon Plowden and Ben Simmons, with contract situations, injuries and overall roster balance all part of the discussion. None of that is official, of course, but it does underline the kind of pressure an expansion draft can create, especially for a team trying to keep enough proven talent while still preserving flexibility. [Read more 🡒]