The Sacramento Kings’ chase for Jalen Duren says plenty about where their frontcourt is headed, and it raises an even bigger question about Maxime Raynaud.
Sacramento has made no secret of its interest in Duren. With Domantas Sabonis and the Kings seemingly moving toward an imminent breakup, Scott Perry is clearly looking for a new center to take over that spot.
But the Kings already spent part of last season sorting out life behind Sabonis, and that work brought Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell into the picture. When Sabonis missed significant time because of injuries, those two split most of the center minutes. Raynaud’s season ended with an All-Rookie second team nod, while Cardwell turned a two-way deal into a standard NBA contract after outplaying it.
That’s what makes the Duren pursuit so interesting. If Sacramento brings in another center to replace Sabonis, Raynaud and Cardwell still look like pieces of the younger group the team is building. And Raynaud, in particular, may be the one whose role gets the clearest signal from whatever comes next.
The bigger roster issue is simple: there are only so many minutes to hand out. The Kings also have Precious Achiuwa and Jonathan Mogbo, both of whom can play the five. So whether Sabonis stays or Duren arrives, the same crunch remains.
Doug Christie is going to have to juggle it somehow. One option is trimming the rotation. Another is leaning into two-big lineups, the kind that are making a comeback around the league.
Achiuwa is expected to spend most of his time at the four, but Raynaud could be the other fit alongside Sabonis or Duren in the frontcourt. He already toyed with that idea in Summer League, and he and Cardwell opened games together when both were available. It didn’t produce great results, but it did offer a glimpse of how the Kings may want to experiment with Raynaud sliding to power forward.
For that to work, Raynaud’s three-point shooting and defense have to hold up. Still, this looks like a season in which Sacramento is searching for answers more than chasing a finished product, so there’s value in seeing whether that pairing can function.
On the surface, the Duren interest can be read as a sign the Kings don’t see Raynaud becoming an All-Star-level big. But it could just as easily mean they believe he can grow into a real stretch four.
A frontcourt built around Duren, Raynaud, and Keegan Murray would give Sacramento more size than it has had in years. There would be obvious concerns on defense and from beyond the arc.
Even so, the Kings appear to have a direction for their young big man. Like so many other questions around this team, the real answer will have to wait until the season starts in a few weeks.
In Other News...
Kings Interest In Jalen Duren Just Got A Lot More Serious
Jalen Durens contract situation in Detroit has suddenly become one of the more interesting plot lines on Sacramentos radar. After declining a five-year offer from the Pistons, he is now in a stalemate with the team as Thursdays deadline to accept a one-year qualifying offer approaches. For the Kings, that only sharpens the appeal of a big man who has already drawn mutual interest from Sacramento, whether through a trade or a future free-agent pursuit.
The catch is the same one that has shadowed Sacramentos pursuit from the start: the Kings do not have the cap room to sign Duren to a max deal right now. So the focus has turned to creating a path, and that has reportedly included exploring a Domantas Sabonis trade to clear the necessary space. If Sacramento can get that flexibility, Duren becomes a much more realistic target either before or during the 2026 season, or when he reaches free agency in 2027. [Read more 🡒]
Kings New-Look Roster Is Already Fueling A Brutal 2026-27 Debate
On The Matt George Podcast, Josh Lloyd of Locked On Fantasy Basketball took a long look at where the Kings could be headed in 2026-27, and his read was not exactly comforting. He pointed to the possibility of defensive issues lingering on a roster that is still trying to sort out its identity, even as the front office adds new pieces and hopes the fit improves.
Lloyd also raised questions about whether newcomers Darius Acuff Jr. and DeAndre Hunter will live up to the expectations attached to them, which only adds to the uncertainty around Sacramentos next step. And if the Kings do decide Domantas Sabonis is part of the answer they want to move off of, Lloyd suggested they may have to be more realistic about the trade return than they would like. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Final Two-Way Spot May Be Down To One Young Guard
The Kings have brought Tristen Newton into 2024 training camp, putting the former UConn guard squarely in the mix for one of the team's two-way openings. Newton arrives with a G League-heavy resume and some real pedigree, since he was a 2024 second-round pick by the Pacers before Sacramento picked up his rights in a trade involving the Stockton Kings.
For a roster still sorting out its final developmental spot, Newton is the kind of player worth a long look: young, experienced in the G League grind, and familiar enough to the organization through the Stockton connection. He also went on to earn All-NBA G League First Team honors in 2026, which only adds to the intrigue around whether the Kings see him as the right fit for that last two-way slot. [Read more 🡒]