At this point, the Sacramento Kings are headed into 2026-2027 with plenty of work still ahead of them. The roster needs help, the coaching staff has room to grow, and by most expectations this is another season that lives near the bottom of the standings.
But even in a year like that, there are reasons to keep watching. The Kings should still have a handful of real positives worth tracking, from individual breakthroughs to signs that the group is finally starting to take shape on defense.
Maxime Raynaud is one of the clearest reasons for optimism. He was one of the biggest surprises of 2025-2026, stepping into the starting center role in Domantas Sabonis’ absence and handling the job well.
There’s nothing in his path that suggests a step backward now. If anything, Raynaud looks ready to show he belongs as a starter on basketball’s biggest stage.
Sacramento also spent two of its three 2026 draft picks on Alex Karaban and Emanuel Sharp, and that choice makes sense given their background. Both players bring four years of college experience with them, which should help them settle in faster than many rookies. The Kings are hoping that experience translates quickly, because these are the kind of players who could become important pieces of the rebuild.
Another area to watch is the defense, which finally started to show signs of life late in 2025-2026. Over the last 10 to 15 gams of that season, the Kings began to build something on that end, helped along by rookies earning more minutes because they could defend.
Nobody is calling this a shutdown unit, but the expectation is for clear improvement. It won’t be dramatic, but it should be real.
Then there’s Darius Acuff Jr., who enters the season with a heavy load on his shoulders as the rookie starting point guard. He’s going to be pushed into the spotlight fast and could end up as the face of both the franchise and the rebuild.
Sacramento is putting support around him, and the belief is that he can handle what’s coming. Once he adjusts to NBA speed, the hope is that he’ll quiet the doubters.
Dylan Cardwell is another player who gives the Kings something solid to build around. His rise last season was one of the bigger surprises in the league, going from undrafted to ranking among the top rookies in blocks and offensive rebounds.
His game should keep developing, but the bigger value may come from who he is around the team. Cardwell brings positivity, energy, and professionalism, and he looks like someone who can grow into a leadership role.
In Other News...
Chris Webbers Return Brings Something This Kings Team Has Needed
Chris Webbers presence around Kings practice this week adds a familiar weight to a team still trying to define itself under Doug Christie. Invited by general manager Scott Perry, the former Sacramento star is expected to be around for the rest of training camp, offering a direct link to the franchises best stretch and a reminder of what sustained success once looked like at Golden 1 Center.
Christie has made accountability and higher standards central themes as the Kings try to bounce back from a rough season, and Webbers return fits neatly into that message. Sacramento is still sorting out the balance between young players and veterans, but having one of the defining figures from the early 2000s in the building gives the group a little extra perspective, and maybe a little extra urgency, as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
DeMarcus Cousins Just Added A Disturbing Twist To Kings Media Backlash
Sacramentos media day already had an ugly backdrop after a hot mic caught reporters making unprofessional remarks about Zach LaVine and Ben Simmons, and the fallout has only widened from there. What started as a bad look for the local basketball press has turned into a broader conversation about the relationship between the Kings, their players and the people covering them, with former Sacramento big man DeMarcus Cousins weighing in from afar.
Cousins said on social media that former Sacramento Bee reporter Ailene Voisin had behaved inappropriately toward him during his rookie season, claiming she lifted his shirt to look at his body. He then blasted Sacramento media as biased and corrupt based on his own experiences, adding a personal and unsettling layer to an already messy story that is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Zach LaVine Sounds Convinced Ben Simmons Can Change The Kings
The Kings have taken a low-risk swing on Ben Simmons, signing him to a non-guaranteed veteran minimum contract for the upcoming season, and the early buzz around the move is more about possibility than certainty. At media day, Zach LaVine sounded genuinely upbeat about what Simmons could bring if he stays healthy, pointing to the kind of size, defense and playmaking Sacramento has been looking to add around its core.
Simmons has not played since the 2024-25 season, which is why the contract carries so little downside for the Kings and so much intrigue for everyone else. Sacramento is clearly betting that a healthy Simmons can still change the equation for this roster, but the real question hanging over the signing is whether he can get back to the level that made him such a unique fit in the first place. [Read more 🡒]