The Sacramento Kings are heading into a season that looks a lot different, even if the 2026 offseason didn’t deliver the kind of fireworks some fans were expecting. The new starting five will draw the most attention, but the bigger story is what each piece has to provide as the Kings lean into a rebuild around a young core.
That projected group - Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, De’Andre Hunter, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis - may not stack up well statistically against the rest of the league. Still, there’s a path for Sacramento to get something meaningful out of it if the right things happen from the right players.
For Acuff Jr., the bar isn’t about numbers as much as it is about promise. The seventh-overall pick doesn’t need to carry the franchise right away, but the Kings do need proof that he can become their next star. After moving on from Tyrese Haliburton, De’Aaron Fox, and Davion Mitchell, Sacramento is looking for a real answer at point guard, and Acuff Jr. has a chance to be that guy.
He’s going to have the ball enough to show off both his scoring and playmaking. The Kings are not asking him to be an All-Star immediately, but they do need to see that kind of future taking shape.
LaVine’s situation is much more familiar. He took his $49 million player option to remain in Sacramento for the 2026-27 season, and while that doesn’t help the Kings much long term, it does create a clear short-term goal: play well enough to raise his value. Sacramento and LaVine both seem ready to move on eventually, but that only becomes possible if he performs well enough to attract trade interest before February.
His play matters for another reason, too. If LaVine looks like the two-time All-Star he has been, the Kings can squeeze more wins out of a roster that needs help wherever it can find it.
Hunter enters the year with a much simpler assignment: stay on the floor and be steady. Sacramento picked him up in a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, but his time with the Kings was cut short when he suffered a season-ending eye injury in just his second game.
The sample size was tiny, but the expectations are still straightforward. He’s a forward who can defend, rebound, and hit threes, and if he does those things at an above-average level, he becomes a useful starter.
Murray may be the most important of the bunch. His rookie season hinted at real value when he shot 41.1% from three-point range on 6.3 attempts per game, but his efficiency has slipped over the last three seasons even as his defense has taken a clear step forward.
He’s now the Kings’ best defender, and what Sacramento still wants is the offensive version that matches it. If Murray can rediscover his three-point shot and sharpen his on-ball game, he can become a versatile two-way piece.
After playing only 23 games last season and with his five-year, $140 million contract now in effect, the Kings need that leap.
Sabonis gives the whole group its best chance to function. Last season was a lost one by his standards, with injuries limiting him to 19 games and his production falling to its lowest point in six years. But his last healthy season in 2024-25 was a reminder of what he can still be: 19.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game, plus a third straight rebounding title and 41.7% shooting from deep.
That version of Sabonis is the one Sacramento is banking on. A healthy Sabonis gives the Kings a big man they can trust, which matters even more with a rookie point guard trying to settle in. If he’s close to that form again, he gives Sacramento its best shot at staying competitive.
In Other News...
Kings Young Core Is Already Creating A Training Camp Question
The Kings young group has already spent part of the offseason trying to get ahead of training camp, gathering for open gym runs hosted by former assistant coach Rico Hines. Darius Acuff Jr., Emanuel Sharp, Nique Clifford, Alex Karaban and Dylan Cardwell were among the players taking part, with the sessions giving Sacramento a glimpse of how the next wave is trying to fit together before camp even opens.
What stood out most was the voluntary nature of it all, the kind of extra work that can matter when a roster is still sorting out who belongs in the rotation. Sharp drew attention for his shooting, while Acuffs playmaking looked like a piece the Kings could eventually use, but the bigger question now is how much of that chemistry can carry into a more competitive setting when the real evaluation begins. [Read more 🡒]
Domantas Sabonis Still Holds One Huge Key To The Kings' Future
Domantas Sabonis is moving along faster than expected in his recovery from a torn meniscus, and the Kings are planning with the hope that hell be ready for the 2026-27 NBA season as their starting center. Even with the questions that have followed him in Sacramento, his offensive impact still matters a great deal, especially for a team that has spent the last few seasons trying to define its core and sort out the frontcourt around him.
The bigger issue is what comes next. Sacramento has other young big men in the pipeline, and Sabonis long-term fit is still very much a live conversation because of the defense concerns and the contract value attached to him. For now, though, his return remains one of the clearest reasons the Kings can keep a door open on their future instead of having to make a hard decision before theyre ready. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Future May Depend On One Rookie Wing Taking A Real Step
The Kings enter the 2026-27 season with a few young pieces to sort through, but Alex Karaban is the rookie wing whose growth may carry the most weight. Sacramento used the 29th overall pick on Karaban, betting on a player with size and shooting ability who fits neatly into a future wing rotation that also includes other young names like Darius Acuff Jr. and Emanuel Sharp.
Karabans development this season is about more than just minutes for a first-year player. If he settles in and looks like a real piece, it could help clarify how Sacramento builds out the roster and where it can afford to be patient. If he stalls, the Kings may have to keep searching for answers on the wing, which makes his progress one of the more important storylines on the board. [Read more 🡒]