The Sacramento Kings are nearly done building out their 2026-27 roster, with just one more signing needed to reach the NBA’s 14-player minimum on standard contracts. But the bigger picture already looks settled. Barring a surprise, the shape of Doug Christie’s rotation seems pretty clear.
At the top of the lineup, the Kings are expected to roll out Darius Acuff Jr., Zach LaVine, De'Andre Hunter, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. Four of those spots feel locked in, while Hunter is the piece that gives the group a little wiggle room. Sacramento could tinker with different forward combinations, including Maxime Raynaud or Precious Achiuwa at power forward, which would free Murray to slide into his natural small forward role.
That starting five puts a lot on the shoulders of Sabonis and LaVine, two proven names who should anchor the offense and the overall identity of the group. Acuff Jr. and Murray, though, are the swing pieces. If they pop, this lineup could be better than it looks on paper.
LaVine is in a contract year, and Sabonis has reportedly bought into this new Kings setup, so both veterans are expected to raise their level from last season. If that happens, Sacramento should have enough firepower to stay as competitive as possible.
The real intrigue, though, starts with Acuff Jr. The seventh-overall pick is the player everyone will be watching early, because the question is simple: can the Arkansas product step in and become the Kings’ new franchise point guard?
The bench is tougher to map out, mostly because Sacramento has a deep group of players who want minutes, even if not all of them can fit every night. The most likely second unit features Malik Monk, Nique Clifford, Alex Karaban, Precious Achiuwa and Maxime Raynaud.
Monk and Clifford give the Kings some backcourt flexibility, especially if Clifford can make the sophomore leap many around the team are hoping for. Some fans want Sacramento to add a true backup ball-handler behind Acuff Jr., but Monk can handle that responsibility for now.
At forward, Karaban and Achiuwa look like the cleanest pairing because there isn’t much competition there. Jonathan Mogbo is the only other backup forward, and he’s on a two-way contract. Karaban will be one of the more interesting players to track because of how his game translates to the NBA, while Achiuwa gives Sacramento a known commodity.
The center rotation is the biggest battle. Raynaud is coming off an All-Rookie season, but Dylan Cardwell could be the better fit if the Kings want an elite rim protector in that spot. Christie will have to sort out how that competition plays out, and there’s also the possibility of finding minutes for both.
Cardwell and Emanuel Sharp are both expected to get real run this season as well. That could mean Christie trims elsewhere or simply leans into a 12-man rotation, but it would be a surprise if either player were left out of the mix. Daeqwon Plowden and the Kings’ two-way players, Jonathan Mogbo and Adam Flagler, appear to have a much tougher path to consistent minutes.
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Doug Christie is stepping into his first full season at the controls with Sacramento, and the backdrop is hard to miss. The Kings still have some familiar pieces from the old Beam Team run, but the roster and the bench have changed enough that this looks like a different era, with Mike Brown gone, De'Aaron Fox no longer in the fold, and a new point guard in Darius Acuff Jr. drafted to help steady the backcourt.
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Victor Oladipo, Ben Simmons and Brandon Williams are all being considered as possible answers, giving Sacramento a mix of former All-Star pedigree and younger upside to sort through. Oladipo and Simmons both come with the intrigue of possible NBA comebacks, while Williams offers a more recent track record as an unrestricted free agent with productive minutes, leaving the Kings with one more choice to make before the roster feels complete. [Read more 🡒]