Sacramento Kings' Biggest Offseason Needs Ahead of 2026 NBA Draft

Not picking until No. 7 overall is a huge disappointment for the Sacramento Kings, as this team needed a superstar perhaps more than any other franchise.

Still, there will still be some really good players available when they select. And position doesn't matter, as the veterans on this team (Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan) should all be on the trade block.

There are going to be a few super-talented guards available at No. 7. As long as the Kings don't do something stupid and reach for a player like Aday Mara, they should be fine.

2025-26 Record: 22-60

Draft Picks: 7, 34, 45

Trades!

No team needs to start over quite as much as the Sacramento Kings do.

After spending the last three years seemingly doing all they could to bury the progress they made in 2022-23 (their only playoff appearance since 2006), Sacramento is coming off a 22-win and doesn't have a single surefire future star.

Landing at No. 7 in the lottery didn't help the situation much either.

In other words, things are dire. And they're not likely to get much better if the Kings stay this course.

Instead, they should be aggressively shopping each of Zach LaVine (who's on an expiring contract), Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan. Just about any young player or even second-round picks might be worth it.

This group isn't going to compete for anything meaningful any time soon. Sacramento's better off going into asset-accumulation mode.

Point Guard

Assuming they stick at No. 7, the Kings almost have to target a playmaker.

In recent years, they've traded De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, both of whom have since reached the NBA Finals, while the Kings were left with an aging Russell Westbrook.

There's no guarantee Darius Acuff, Kingston Flemings or any of the other guards who might be available to Sacramento will be quite as good as the guards they gave up on, but they need to start looking.

Defense

If the Kings aren't able to find any takers for their vets, they need to prioritize defense at just about every other spot on the roster.

All three of LaVine, DeRozan and Sabonis have historically struggled on that end of the floor, so Sacramento needs real difference-makers to cover for them.