The Sacramento Kings are already getting pulled into next summer’s free-agent chatter, and the names floating around point to a roster that could look very different by the time the 2027 offseason arrives.
Jalen Duren and Jonathan Kuminga remain part of the conversation because of the cap space Sacramento is expected to have, but both paths come with real hurdles. Duren would have to sign the qualifying offer, while Kuminga would need to pass on his player option and then play well enough to justify a deal from the Kings.
If Sacramento does have the room, though, the market could be a lot more interesting than what the team saw this year. R.J. Barrett sits near the top of that list.
Barrett has been tied to the Kings for more than a year, with buzz around him stretching back to last offseason and picking up again before the trade deadline in a proposed Domantas Sabonis deal. That move never happened, and Barrett stayed in Toronto while Sabonis remained in Sacramento.
Next offseason could bring a cleaner path. The Kings may have a chance to add Barrett without sending out draft picks or players in a trade, which makes him a name worth watching closely.
The biggest obstacle may be Duren. If he ends up commanding most of Sacramento’s cap space, Barrett could be squeezed out of the picture.
Barrett is finishing the final season of his 4-year, $107 million contract and is set to make $29.6 million this year. What he lands on his next deal will be one of the more interesting contract questions as the league keeps adjusting under the new CBA.
On the floor, Barrett would bring real production. He averaged 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists last season with the Raptors, and he could fit next to Darius Acuff Jr. as part of the Kings’ backcourt of the future. His connection to Scott Perry from their time in New York only adds to the likelihood that this rumor keeps coming back around.
Cameron Johnson is another possibility Sacramento has circled before. The Kings had chances to get the wing under Monte McNair, but never made the move. Johnson eventually landed with the Nuggets, McNair is gone, and Perry is now running the show.
That doesn’t shut the door. Johnson still checks a lot of boxes for Sacramento. He has size, he can shoot, and even with his scoring down to 12.2 points per game in Denver last season, he still hit 43.0% from three.
He also may fit best if the Kings take a step forward this season. If Acuff is as good as expected, or even better, and Keegan Murray gets back to his sharpshooting form, Johnson could be the kind of piece that cleans up the rotation. He could start alongside Murray or back him up, and either way he would help the Kings’ frontcourt depth.
Then there’s Lu Dort, the most defense-first option of the group. Dort is known as one of the league’s best defenders, and his first season with the Atlanta Hawks is the final year of the 5-year, $82.5 million deal he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is set to make $17.7 million this season, a figure that seems plausible for his next contract too.
Unlike Barrett and Johnson, Dort would give Sacramento a chance to lean into the other end of the floor. He was fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in the 2024-25 season and made the All-NBA First Team that same year.
Offense is still the question, but Dort has enough shooting to keep defenses honest. He is a career 35.8% three-point shooter. This season with the Hawks should offer a better read on how much of his impact came from Oklahoma City’s league-leading defense and how much travels with him.
For the Kings, the list is still just a list for now. So much depends on how the season unfolds, and these decisions will be shaped by what happens on the court. But once Zach LaVine’s contract is finally off the books, Sacramento could have a far more intriguing set of free-agent options to chase.
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