Sacramento Kings' Top 3 Priorities During 2026 NBA Offseason
The Sacramento Kings had a momentously bad 2025-26 season. The team didn't set out to "tank." It happened naturally.
From Domantas Sabonis' knee to Keegan Murray missing the start of the year with a thumb injury, it's easy to point at maladies as an excuse for why it all went bad. But the reality is the Kings have a poorly constructed, aging, offense-first roster that was never going to do anything in the Western Conference at full strength this season.
It's time for a reset.
3. Decide on Coach Doug Christie
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The Kings hired Scott Perry to run the front office in February. He removed the interim tag from coach Doug Christie's title after Christie took over for Mike Brown during the 2024-25 campaign.
Now that Sacramento has wrapped its worst season since 2011-12, is Christie part of the problem or the solution? He wasn't responsible for roster construction and injuries, but Perry should have a clear sense of how well prepared Christie was this season.
That verdict needs to be decided quickly so the team has a head coach well before the draft and free agency.
2. Second-Apron Lottery Team?
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The NBA's system punishes teams at the highest payroll tiers. Typically, only those who believe they're top contenders are willing to spend as high as the Kings are scheduled to pay next season. For a franchise that couldn't reach 25 wins, it's insane to carry that large a payroll into next season.
The trade for De'Andre Hunter from the Cleveland Cavaliers before the deadline put the team in the $225 million range for 2026-27. Historically, the Kings don't pay the luxury tax, so look for aggressive reductions ahead, starting with DeRozan.
The veteran scorer is under contract at $25.7 million next season, but only $10 million is guaranteed. Sacramento will try to trade him first, but if that fails, his salary can be waived and stretched over three years at $3.3 million per season. Getting out of DeRozan is a near lock.
LaVine also has a player option at $49 million, but he'll only opt out if the team offers him a longer deal at a lower annual salary. He, too, could be dealt, though all this begs the question: why acquire Hunter to push the payroll this high?
At least he's under 30, turning 29 in December, though he doesn't have a tremendous track record for durability.
1. A Better, Younger Roster
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The season wasn't a complete disaster for the Kings, as second-round pick Maxime Raynaud (No. 42) has been a standout rookie. He represents the direction the franchise needs to take, getting out of heavy, bloated contracts for players that don't fit together, and getting into younger, raw talent to build around. A high lottery pick in June will help.
Investing in Murray wasn't a mistake, but doing so while diminishing his role with too many scorers like Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk didn't add up. They need to give opportunities to youth like Nique Clifford, Dylan Cardwell and whoever joins from the draft and trades; they need less of the older, big-name scorers who have had great careers but are past their prime.
The good news is that nearly all the Kings' big-money contracts will come off the books after the 2026-27 season. Expiring contracts are often movable via trade. While Sabonis has an additional year through 2027-28, he, too, should have suitors among other NBA franchises.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X @EricPincus and Bluesky.
