Kings offseason plan
- Sacramento enters the 2026 offseason coming off a 22-60 finish, with coach Doug Christie retained and general manager Scott Perry signaling a rebuild built around younger players and a high lottery pick. - The clearest pressure point is money: Spotrac projects the Kings about $11.1 million from the tax and roughly $2.5 million over the first apron, with Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan leading payroll. - Sacramento’s path runs through its projected No. 4 pick, veteran-contract decisions and cap cleanup after a bottom-four season reshaped the franchise’s timeline. (spotrac.com)
The Kings head into the summer after a 22-60 season with Doug Christie staying on the bench and Scott Perry facing a roster reset. (espn.com) (basketball-reference.com) Sacramento finished 14th in the Western Conference with the NBA’s fourth-worst record, which puts the franchise in line for a top-eight pick and a projected No. 4 selection entering lottery season. (basketball-reference.com) (spotrac.com) Christie is back for 2026-27 despite the record, and ESPN reported lottery night on May 10 is the next major date for the franchise. (espn.com) The shape of the offseason starts with the payroll. Spotrac projects Sacramento at negative practical cap space, about $11.1 million from the tax line and roughly $2.5 million over the first apron. (spotrac.com) That is a costly place for a team that ranked 26th in offensive rating, 28th in defensive rating and posted a minus-10.0 net rating. (basketball-reference.com) The biggest contracts belong to Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, De’Andre Hunter, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray. Spotrac lists LaVine at $48.97 million for 2026-27, Sabonis at $45.47 million and DeRozan at $25.74 million. (spotrac.com) That makes the central question less about adding a marquee free agent than deciding which veteran money still fits the timeline. Spotrac’s offseason preview says DeRozan has only $10 million guaranteed if waived, while LaVine is widely expected to pick up his player option. (spotrac.com) Sacramento does have one asset teams covet in a rebuild: its own 2026 first-round pick. Fanspo and Pro Sports Transactions both show the Kings controlling that first, plus their own 2026 second and an extra conditional second from Charlotte. (fanspo.com) (prosportstransactions.com) The younger pieces are already on the roster. Devin Carter, Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell are all under contract, and Murray is now on a long-term extension according to Spotrac’s contract database. (spotrac.com) (nba.com) There are also smaller decisions around the edges. Spotrac lists Precious Achiuwa, Drew Eubanks, Doug McDermott and Russell Westbrook among Sacramento’s potential free agents, with Killian Hayes on a team option structure. (spotrac.com 1) (spotrac.com 2) Perry said after the season that he intends to rebuild, according to The Sacramento Bee, and the numbers point the same way. The Kings can keep chasing expensive short-term fixes, or use this summer to make the roster younger, cheaper and easier to reshape by the 2027 draft. (sacbee.com) (spotrac.com)
