A quiet summer in Sacramento might end up looking pretty smart.
The Kings did not make a splashy overhaul, but they did reshape the roster in a way that could make more sense when next season tips off. DeMar DeRozan is gone.
Devin Carter was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, who waived him before he landed on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Boston Celtics. Russell Westbrook retired.
And with those moves, Sacramento created room - and minutes - for a different kind of lineup to take shape.
The biggest change comes with DeRozan’s exit, including the decision to waive and stretch the remaining $10 million guaranteed. That clears the lane for De’Andre Hunter to step into the starting five alongside Keegan Murray.
It is a clean fit on paper, and one the Kings clearly believe gives them more balance. DeRozan was steady as an on-ball scorer, averaging 20.3 points and starting 154 games over his two seasons in Sacramento, but Hunter brings something different: more defensive range, more size on the wing, and more of the kind of two-way utility teams need in the West.
Hunter is entering the final year of his contract, so this is a "prove it" year for him. He also only played two games for Sacramento before a season-ending eye injury cut his year short.
Now he gets a fresh chance to show he can be the 3-and-D wing the Kings need. At 6-foot-7 and 221 pounds, he gives Sacramento a body who can handle stronger forwards and absorb contact in one-on-one situations.
He also has real value as a floor spacer, with a career 36.4% mark from three-point range, though last season’s 30.5% is the number he has to answer for.
Westbrook’s retirement left Sacramento looking for a backup point guard, and that search stretched through most of the offseason. Perry wanted the 18-year veteran back, but the Kings could only offer the veteran’s minimum, and he felt Westbrook was worth more than that. The answer came in Simmons, a 6-foot-10 point forward who sat out last season while recovering from injuries and trying to rebuild his confidence.
Simmons drew Sacramento’s interest after Perry saw him work out in Florida. The 30-year-old signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal in early September, making him the team’s first free-agent addition. He brings playmaking, especially in transition, and the ability to guard multiple positions.
Taken together, the offseason looks less quiet than it first seemed. Sacramento used limited resources to strip away some age, open up flexibility, and build around a roster that may fit better on both ends. If the stars stay healthy, the Kings could be in position to be better next season, with a lineup that makes more sense around rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr.
In Other News...
Kings What If From 2017 Still Cuts Deep Today
Seven years later, the Kings 2017 draft still lingers as one of those franchise touchstones that gets revisited whenever the conversation turns to what might have been. Sacramento took DeAaron Fox at No. 5 overall and Zach Collins at No. 10, moves made with a clear eye toward building around speed, fit and familiarity. In hindsight, a Bleacher Report redraft swapping in OG Anunoby and Josh Hart only sharpens the sense that this was one of the pivotal nights in the organizations recent history.
Former Kings executive Vlade Divac has spoken about why the team stuck with Fox instead of chasing Luka Doni, pointing to market fit and relationships as part of the equation. Those are the kinds of decisions that can define a front office for years, and for Sacramento, the 2017 class remains a reminder of how thin the line can be between a foundation and a missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Karaban Could Push Into The Kings Rotation Faster Than Expected
Alex Karaban arrives in Sacramento with a profile the Kings can at least imagine using sooner rather than later. Drafted by Cleveland at No. 29 and then sent to the Kings, the UConn product brings the kind of size and efficient offensive game that can make a rookie easier to fold into a rotation, especially for a team always looking for useful minutes on the wing and up front.
Karabans college track record gives him a real case for early opportunity, with 151 games at UConn and steady production across the board. The bigger question for Sacramento is whether that success translates cleanly to the NBA game, because that answer will go a long way toward determining how quickly he can push into the Kings' rotation during his first season. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face One Real Roster Question With Final Spot Still Open
The Kings still have one open roster spot, and it has become the kind of late-summer question that can quietly shape the rest of a season. Sacramento already has 17 players under contract, including Ben Simmons and Elfrid Payton, so any addition now would be less about filling a headline need and more about deciding whether the last place goes to another veteran option or a younger player who might grow into the role.
Cam Whitmore is one of the names worth watching after being waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers, since he fits the Kings timeline as a young wing. The issue, as always with a crowded roster this time of year, is whether there will be enough playing time to make that kind of upside move worthwhile. Sacramento has not announced any signing involving Whitmore, which leaves the final spot open and the decision very much unresolved. [Read more 🡒]