Kings Fan Vote Reveals MVP, Future Stars and the Team's Most Chaotic Personalities
NBA awards season is here, and we wanted to hear from YOU, Sacramento Kings fans.
Who is your team's MVP? What about its next first-time All-Star? Which player is on the best contract? How about the worst?
Which player is most likely to have a burner account? Who's the best athlete? And, perhaps most importantly, if you had to choose one player to team up with during a Zombie apocalypse, who's your guy?
You helped us make sense of the Kings' season by casting a ballot for each of these awards—and more!
Who Is the Most Valuable Player?
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Winner: DeMar DeRozan
Though this was his age-36 season, DeMar DeRozan finished with nearly 500 more minutes played than the next closest King. That volume paired with his status as Sacramento's leading scorer to earn him MVP honors on a squad that lacked many other options.
Outside-the-box voters gave some consideration to Russell Westbrook and his team lead in assists, while rookie Maxime Raynaud actually checked in just behind DeRozan at 31.0 percent.
Who Is Most Underrated?
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Winner: Dylan Cardwell
Dylan Cardwell is an intriguing frontcourt defender that most fans outside Sacramento have probably never heard of, though Raynaud was much more productive if we're sticking with the young center category.
Nique Clifford might turn into a rotation wing, though fans decided he needed to shoot the ball better from long distance.
Cardwell walked away with this one on the strength of his physicality and hustle.
Who Is the Best Athlete?
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Winner: Malik Monk
A team-high 35.1 percent of Cardwell's field-goal attempts were dunks, but Monk had the superior highlight package overall. His downhill drives went from zero to 60 in a blink, and he could still catch bodies at the rim.
If we're adjusting for age, Westbrook was surprisingly fast in the open floor for a player in his age-37 season. Another veteran, Zach LaVine, was once among the top athletes in the sport. He logged just 39 games this year and dunked only 28 times, but his reputation was real enough to earn a few votes.
Who Is Most Likely To Be a 1st-Time All-Star In the Next 5 Years?
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Winner: Maxime Raynaud
Keegan Murray looks like a worse player than he was a year ago, and his multi-season downward trend made it hard to give him more than a second-place thought as a future All-Star. Given the age of the rest of Sacramento's core, he still wind up with plenty of votes.
Kings fans proved they have a type, as Raynaud won this one, continuing a tradition of prizing offense-only big men that started with Chris Webber and extends now to Domantas Sabonis.
Who Has the Best Contract?
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Winner: Maxime Raynaud
Raynaud's run continues, as his rookie-scale deal beat out Monk's $19.5 million per year and Cardwell's even smaller salary to take yet another award.
Monk's deal isn't objectively great, but it looks pretty good when compared to those of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and De'Andre Hunter. Sacramento owes Sabonis $94 million over the next two years, while the Kings are probably hoping LaVine will decline his $49 million player option for 2026-27 because they may never be able to trade him for positive value.
We'll get to those momentarily.
Who Has the Worst Contract?
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Winner: Zach LaVine
Of all the Kings' bad deals, Sabonis' seemed like the biggest problem. His poor defense and lack of off-ball offensive value make him a classic "trap" player—the kind whose counting-stat production suggests he's worth a ton but whose negative impact on winning means he puts a low ceiling on any team.
Voters disagreed. They were more concerned by LaVine's one remaining year (player option) at $49 million.
LaVine could opt out and leave, DeRozan has only a partial guarantee on the last year of his deal next season and Murray has an outside shot to validate the $140 million extension that currently looks like a mistake.
Who Is the Best Trash-Talker?
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Winner: Russell Westbrook
Early in his career, Russell Westbrook's bravado defined him as much as his elite athleticism and competitive intensity. He's lost a lot of the run-and-jump juice he once possessed, but the other two qualities still make him a stellar trash-talker.
Russ will get into it with opposing players, fans and the media. That's true verbal versatility.
Who Is Most Likely To Have a Burner Account?
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Winner: Russell Westbrook
Murray has one of the mildest and soft-spoken personalities you'll ever find among top-notch professional athletes. Voters wisely decided that didn't make him a prime burner candidate, even if he could have gotten away with anything because of his reputation.
You'd think Russ would never want to do anything to associate himself with former teammate and perennial "cupcake" Kevin Durant, the king of burners. But here he is securing a victorious 54.0 percent of the vote.
Who Are You Taking With You Into the Zombie Apocalypse?
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Winner: Russell Westbrook
LaVine's smooth sniping might come in handy if you needed him to defend an elevated position against a horde of zombies, but voters ultimately preferred Westbrook's fighting spirit.
He edged out rookie Dylan Cardwell for the win.
Russ might lead your survival party into tough spots because he's never really been a "look before you leap" kind of player, but you can't overrate the importance of intensity and self-confidence in a post-apocalyptic scenario. As long as there's someone around to say, "Hey, Russ, I think maybe we shouldn't go sprinting into the abandoned hospital," you'll be fine.
Who Is Most Likely To Be Playing Overseas In 2 Seasons?
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Winner: Patrick Baldwin Jr.
Doug McDermott, Drew Eubanks, Precious Achiuwa and Westbrook are all in the last year of their deals, which raised possibility of playing overseas as soon as next year. Voters figured Russ would rather retire than toil in a lesser league, but it's hard to rule out the possibility of him wanting to continue competing on a basketball court—wherever that may be.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. saw a little action for the Kings this season, his fifth team in four years. That's the kind of bounce-around resumé that suggests international basketball could be in the cards. Voters felt the same way, handing him a team-leading 48.0 percent of the vote. Bon voyage, PBJ!
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