The Sacramento Kings have spent years training their fans to brace for disappointment, which is exactly why the last couple of weeks have felt so strange. There’s a real rebuild underway now, and for once, it looks like something with a future attached to it. Next season is going to feel different.
A lot of that shift traces back to Scott Perry, who became the Kings’ new general manager in April 2025. The rebuild took root after he arrived in Sacramento and persuaded managing co-owner Vivek Ranadive to move forward with it.
Perry wasted no time making the most of limited tools. In the 2025 draft, he turned one first-round pick and one second-round pick into Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud, then added undrafted Dylan Cardwell on a two-way contract. All three moves were strong ones.
He kept building after that, bringing in Daeqwon Plowden on a two-way deal and signing free agent Precious Achiuwa. Even before the rebuild was officially underway, Perry was laying the groundwork for it. That was long-term planning at its finest.
The 2026 offseason has taken that momentum and pushed it further. Perry has done a masterful job of rebuilding with very little room to work, even while the Kings still have to navigate the contracts of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan. Those situations will take time to sort out, but they are part of the larger process.
Sacramento also hit big in the 2026 NBA Draft. The Kings got the point guard they wanted in Darius Acuff Jr. and added a strong shooting guard in Emanuel Sharp. On trade day, they also secured Alex Karaban, the two-time national champion UCONN forward.
Perry’s work didn’t stop there. He re-signed Achiuwa, gave Plowden the first standard NBA contract of his career, and signed Jonathan Mogbo and Adam Flagler to two-way contracts. To make room, the Kings moved on from Devin Carter and Killian Hayes, which is part of how this kind of roster reset works.
There’s still more to do, including officially releasing several free agents and finishing some major trades. But the direction is clear, and it’s a lot more encouraging than what Kings fans have been used to. Much of that comes back to Perry.
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Kings Guard Shakeup Just Claimed A Name Fans Feared
The Kings backcourt picture changed quickly after the 2026 NBA Draft, when Sacramento added Darius Acuff Jr. and Emanuel Sharp to a guard group that already needed sorting out. With the roster sitting at 21 players and the leagues limits forcing the club down to 15 standard spots plus two-way contracts, the front office was always going to have to make some uncomfortable choices.
Devin Carter became the first notable casualty of that squeeze, a reminder that draft-night upgrades can come with a real cost for players already on the margin. Sacramentos guard-heavy reset gives the team more options, but it also leaves the rest of the roster in a more uncertain place as the Kings keep trimming toward opening night. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Point Guard Dilemma Just Put One Risky Name Back In Focus
The Kings point guard search has a way of dragging old names back into the conversation, and Ja Morant is one of them. Sacramento was linked to him in trade chatter before deciding not to go that route, a reminder that the franchises backcourt questions are still very much alive even when the loudest rumors move on.
Zion Williamson is part of the same broader discussion around risky star bets, but New Orleans is taking the opposite stance and says it has no interest in moving him. The Pelicans still believe they can build around Williamson, even with the injury and conditioning concerns that have shadowed his career and limited his availability, which is exactly why his situation keeps getting measured against other high-profile names around the league. [Read more 🡒]
Kings May Have Another Undrafted Name For Fans To Watch
Marquel Sutton has turned into one of the more interesting Summer League names on the Kings roster, which is saying something for a player who arrived as an undrafted add-on. The forward has looked more comfortable with each game, and his blend of size, activity and shot-making has given Sacramento something worth tracking beyond the usual July box scores.
Suttons path already gives him a little credibility, with productive stops at Omaha and LSU before he landed in Sacramento. The Kings have also shown they are willing to reward undrafted players who seize this stage, so Suttons rise is the kind of development that can quietly matter if he keeps forcing the issue in front of the staff. [Read more 🡒]