The Sacramento Kings have real flexibility on the wing heading into the 2026 season, and that makes small forward one of the more interesting spots on the roster. There’s a clear starter, a second-year piece with upside, a veteran who can fill a bunch of roles, and a rookie who could force his way into the picture if camp goes well.
DeAndre Hunter is expected to open the year as the starter at small forward, and the Kings are counting on him to settle in after a season that never really gave him a chance to get comfortable in Sacramento. The team acquired him midseason, but he only appeared in two games after the trade, so the full picture of what he can bring in Kings colors still hasn’t been seen.
What is clear is that Hunter was productive across the board last season. He averaged 13.7 points and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from three.
With a full offseason in the system, Sacramento should get a better version of a player who has been a steady two-way presence throughout his career. If everything clicks, he has a path to being one of the better two-way players in the league.
Behind him, Nique Clifford gives the Kings another wing option who could matter right away in Year 2. Clifford can slide between shooting guard and small forward, and that kind of versatility gives Sacramento some useful depth.
His outside shot is the swing skill here after he hit 33.3 percent from beyond the arc last season. If that number moves in the right direction, his value rises fast.
Ben Simmons adds a completely different flavor to the mix. He brings the kind of size and versatility that lets him cover almost any spot on the floor, and his defensive ability stands out because of his 6-10 frame, quickness, and mobility.
He also gives the Kings something useful on offense with his ball handling, which can help jump-start the fast break and create easier looks in transition. Whether he’s deployed in the frontcourt or backcourt, Simmons gives Doug Christie another way to speed the game up.
Then there’s rookie Alex Karaban, who enters the picture with a chance to earn minutes if he impresses in training camp and the preseason. Karaban comes from UConn, where he logged valuable high-level experience and showed he can score efficiently.
He averaged 12.5 points per game in college while shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three, and 85.1 percent from the free-throw line. If that kind of efficiency carries over, he could work his way into a role.
Taken together, this is a small forward group with range. The Kings have different looks available depending on the matchup, and Christie has options when it comes to building lineups. How he manages that rotation - and who grabs hold of the available minutes - will be one of the more interesting things to watch as the 2026 season unfolds.
In Other News...
Kings Rookies Are Drawing Serious Respect Before The Rotation Battle
Before Sacramento even gets deep into the rotation conversation, its rookie class is already earning notice from the people who know them best. Darius Acuff Jr. was singled out by fellow 2026 NBA draft rookies as the classs best scorer and the most trustworthy option when the game is on the line, which fits the profile he built at Arkansas, where he led the SEC in scoring, and carried into summer league with his shot-making.
Emanuel Sharp got similar respect on the other end of the floor, where his peers picked him as the best defender in the group. His work at Houston already suggested that kind of value, and the Kings are projecting him as a 3-and-D guard who can bring balance to a young backcourt. For a team trying to sort out minutes and roles, having two rookies arrive with that kind of reputation is a promising place to start. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Interest In RJ Barrett Could Signal A Real Roster Shakeup
The Kings offseason has already had a few moving parts, and RJ Barretts name surfacing in Sacramento only adds to the sense that more roster reshuffling could be coming. The reported framework would bring Barrett from Toronto to a Kings team that has shown interest in him before, with the connection to general manager Scott Perry giving the idea a familiar edge rather than a purely speculative one.
On the other side, the Raptors have a crowded enough wing picture that a deal like this at least fits the kind of decision-making teams make when they need to sort out roles and fit. Sacramentos side would not be painless, since Malik Monk remains a useful piece and the inclusion of Nique Clifford and Daeqwon Plowden underscores that this would be more than a simple one-for-one swap. For now, though, there is no official trade, which leaves the question of whether the Kings are truly preparing for a real shakeup or just keeping tabs on another possible pivot. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rebuild Could Cost Sacramento More Familiar Faces Next Summer
The Kings rebuild has already started to reshape the roster, and the next wave of decisions could determine just how much continuity Sacramento keeps from one season to the next. As the front office tries to thread the needle between staying competitive and resetting around younger pieces, a few familiar names are suddenly part of a much bigger conversation about where this team is headed.
Zach LaVine is expected to be elsewhere by the 2027-28 season, while Domantas Sabonis appears far more likely to stay because of the contract situation around him. Beyond those two, Sacramento still has a list of movable or uncertain pieces to sort through, including Nique Clifford, Daeqwon Plowden, Ben Simmons, Malik Monk and De'Andre Hunter, which means the Kings may have more roster churn ahead before the rebuild really settles in. [Read more 🡒]