The Sacramento Kings have quietly put together a 2026 offseason that looks built around one thing: getting younger, cheaper, and more aligned with the future.
The biggest swing came on draft night, when Sacramento used the No. 7 pick on Darius Acuff Jr., a player the team clearly sees as its hopeful franchise point guard and an immediate Rookie of the Year contender. The Kings weren’t done there.
They moved back into the first round for Alex Karaban at No. 29, then added Emanuel Sharp at No. 45.
For a team that needed a reset in its young core, that haul matters.
Acuff Jr. is the headliner and the name most likely to shape Sacramento’s next chapter, but Karaban and Sharp also fit the same idea: shooters who can defend and help the floor open up. That kind of balance is exactly what a rebuilding roster needs, and the Kings walked away from the draft with it.
They also made a smart retention move by bringing back Precious Achiuwa on a two-year, $11.2 million deal. On a veteran minimum last season, Achiuwa gave Sacramento 10.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 stocks per game while shooting 52.8% from the field. He started 57 games, and there’s real value in keeping that production around, especially with three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis in the frontcourt.
The Kings also made a major financial decision by waiving DeRozan. The 37-year-old six-time All-Star was Sacramento’s leading scorer last season, but the team saved about $15.7 million with the move and cut about $22.4 million from its 2026-27 payroll. More importantly, it signals a clean break from a roster spot that no longer fits where the franchise is headed.
That said, DeRozan wasn’t the only veteran whose future is in question. The next step, according to the team’s broader direction, is to find new homes for Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine if Sacramento is going to fully commit to the rebuild.
Then came the latest low-risk addition: Ben Simmons on a one-year, veteran minimum deal. The former first-overall pick and three-time All-Star brings plenty of uncertainty, but the cost makes it an easy gamble.
He gives the Kings a backup point guard, plus ball-handling, defense, length, and athleticism. There’s health risk attached, but the roster has enough depth that Sacramento doesn’t need to bet the whole season on him.
With at least 13 players already in the mix for Doug Christie to sort through, the Kings may already be close to done. But even before the final roster picture settles, this has been a productive offseason for a team that knows where it stands in a tough Western Conference.
In Other News...
Former Kings Voice Grant Napear May Not Be Done Fighting Yet
Grant Napears legal battle with Bonneville International Corp. took another turn this week when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals backed the companys decision to fire the longtime Kings broadcaster after his All Lives Matter tweet stirred controversy. Napear had argued that his rights were violated when the company cut ties with him, but the appellate court upheld the dismissal of his case, leaving the former voice of Sacramento basketball with another setback in a dispute that has already stretched on for years.
Even so, the fight may not be finished. Napears attorney is now weighing whether to push the case further, including the possibility of asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take it up. For Kings fans who remember Napears years behind the microphone, the broader question is no longer about his broadcast past but about whether this legal challenge has one more stop left in it. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Monk Just Became A Serious Kings Trade Deadline Question
As the trade deadline approaches, Malik Monk has become part of a larger Kings effort to create more roster flexibility, even as nothing has been finalized. Sacramentos front office is actively exploring options, and the possibility of moving Monk has landed squarely in the mix for a team that still values his scoring punch off the bench.
That uncertainty only grows because general manager Scott Perry has already shown a willingness to ask big questions about the roster, including attempts to move Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine in search of high returns. Monk remains one of the Kings most reliable bench weapons, which is why his name in trade talks carries real weight in Sacramento, and why the next few days could say plenty about how aggressively the team wants to reshape itself. [Read more 🡒]
Sabonis Just Put More Pressure On The Kings Front Office
Domantas Sabonis has become the latest reminder that Sacramentos roster reset is far from finished. The Kings are reportedly weighing whether to trade the veteran big man, even though he remains under contract for two more seasons, and the backdrop is telling: the front office under general manager Scott Perry has been steadily reshaping the team, moving away from players tied to earlier eras.
Sabonis has also brought in a new agent as he looks for a team prepared to meet his extension expectations, a level of commitment Sacramento is not willing to make. That leaves the Kings with a familiar kind of pressure point, balancing the value of keeping a foundational player against the reality that the market, the money and the direction of the franchise may not line up for much longer. [Read more 🡒]