Kings Mailbag, Answering Fans’ Biggest Questions

· Yahoo Sports

The Sacramento Kings’ 2026-27 training camp starts in less than a month. Still, the Kings have one open roster spot and plenty of questions about the roster’s state and what this season will look like after a measly 22-60 campaign.

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With that in mind, I shared a post online asking fans for their burning questions. I’ll answer one from every respondent in this article. From the long-awaited Ben Simmons signing to organizational goals to asset management, let’s dive in!

What Is the Goal for the Kings This Season?

The Kings’ front office does not believe a roster made up of three former All-Stars and numerous 20+ point-per-game scorers will be last in the Western Conference.

Last year, starters like Domantas Sabonis (63 games missed), Keegan Murray (59), Zach LaVine (43), and De’Andre Hunter (37) missed plenty of time due to injuries. Hunter only played two games as a King.

With a fully healthy squad and added talent like No. 7 overall pick Darius Acuff Jr., the Kings organization firmly believes their roster is capable of a play-in berth, if not a sneaky playoff trip. Under the new NBA Draft Lottery rules, finishing fourth through 10th in the reverse standings comes with better lottery odds. This gives the Kings an extra incentive to win games in all phases of the season.

At the end of the day, it’s impossible to judge how a team will perform before seeing them on the floor together. On paper, the team looks solid, but talent alone doesn’t win games. Winning comes from how individual pieces mesh.

A Potential Bruce Brown Signing?

The Kings had been tied to numerous veteran backup point guards before signing Ben Simmons on Sept. 4. Bruce Brown has gas in the tank, but it wouldn’t make much sense for the front office to add yet another older piece.

As for how his actual play style would fit in Sacramento, his defensive versatility is invaluable to any team. He may be undersized, but he always finds ways to impact games by simply playing gritty, hard-nosed basketball. His ability to attack the basket is impressive, as he doesn’t rely solely on a three-point shot to get on the stat sheet.

As it stands, though, the Kings possess young guards off the bench like Emanuel Sharp and Nique Clifford who would lose minutes to Brown. The organization wants to prioritize development, and Brown isn’t exactly a “win now” move either.

In short, I’d be confused and concerned if the Kings went that route.

The Outlook on Zach LaVine

LaVine is in a contract year, after opting into his $49 million player option in June. Despite being the highest-paid player on the Kings, the front office has made it clear that his starting role isn’t guaranteed. Merit, not status, will determine the lineup. Most expect him to start to begin the year, but nothing is certain afterwards, depending on his performance.

LaVine understands this season is incredibly important for his future. It’s in his best interest to show teams that he can perform well in a role other than the primary scorer. While he’s still a very talented bucket-getter, he’s no longer one of the league’s premier players. He needs to improve as an off-ball player.

As for the Kings’ plan with LaVine, they’ve been trying to trade him for over a year, but to no avail. General Manager Scott Perry has held constructive conversations with LaVine, but the bottom line is his track record as a winning player is thin.

He is a liability defensively, and his offensive outputs can be inconsistent. He’s one of the most efficient scorers in NBA history, but his willingness to be aggressive wavers from game to game.

The Kings are still eyeing a LaVine trade, and talks will certainly ramp up as the trade deadline nears. LaVine’s expiring contract is certainly appealing to teams, especially contenders like the Detroit Pistons, who could use additional scorers. That being said, don’t be surprised if LaVine remains a King until the season comes to a close.

How the DeRozan Stretch Created Room for Simmons

Waiving and stretching contracts is one of the more confusing tools that teams use to save cap space. To set the record straight, DeRozan signed a one-year $3.9 million veteran minimum contract, not $4.9 million.

The Kings still owe DeRozan the full $10 million guaranteed; they don’t split the bill with the Denver Nuggets, who signed him. This clears up why they stretched his guaranteed money over three years. By doing so, they didn’t just dip under the luxury tax, but gained enough room to sign the aforementioned Simmons.

The expectation around the league is that the Kings don’t have the roster to make a playoff push. That’s obviously not the mentality the organization is entering the year with, but it goes without saying that they’d rather not be in the luxury tax in what may be a down year.

The Kings owe DeRozan $3.33 million each of the next three seasons. With LaVine, Hunter, Malik Monk, and Sabonis likely all off the books after the 2027-28 campaign, the small fee shouldn’t affect them.

How to Attack the Rebuild

This is the million-dollar question, isn’t it?

Sacramento is one of the NBA’s smallest markets. It’s not the most popular team in California by any means, nor is it the most popular in the Northern California region. When people think of the “City of Trees,” they see a town that’s two hours away from a good time.

This is why the Kings have consistently been one of the older teams in the NBA. The team is based in an area without much nightlife or overall hubbub. Sabonis is a perfect example. He is perfectly content remaining in the Sacramento region, as he lives in Napa with his family and owns a winery.

High-end young talent rarely sign with Sacramento unless they drastically overpay, and the Perry administration seems to be much more conservative than general managers of the past. That said, there are two instances of Perry making the Kings the number one team in the minds of restricted free agents. Jalen Duren and Jonathan Kuminga remain future targets for the organization simply because of him.

Perry is a man of connections. He’s been in the league for decades and has built relationships with higher-ups in front offices across conferences. He was assistant general manager of the Seattle Supersonics when Presti was general manager. That connection opened the door for the Kings to trade with Presti’s Oklahoma City Thunder for the 24th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Scott Perry’s Asset Management

Perry inherited an impossible situation, both in terms of finances and fit. Monte McNair, the previous general manager, left him with LaVine’s contract, three second-round picks through 2033, and the fourth-oldest roster in the league.

In the beginning of his tenure, he made a couple of questionable moves, including tradingJonas Valančiūnas to the Nuggets for Dario Šarić, who played just one game for the Kings. He also signedDennis Schröder to a $45 million contract. The two were moved by the trade deadline, and the front office had to attach Keon Ellis and a second-round pick to entice trade partners.

Aside from a few isolated “mistakes,” Perry has made the most of his time in Sacramento. He’s drafted under-the-radar pieces like Maxime Raynaud, the only second-round pick to make an NBA All-Rookie team last season. He’s also signed positive contributors like Precious Achiuwa and Daeqwon Plowden to small deals.

It may feel like Perry has lost the Kings numerous picks, but he’s only given up a few. The Kings possess such negative assets that they can’t accumulate any draft picks, but that isn’t the current front office’s fault.

The Projected Rotations

This reader sent this question before the Simmons signing was announced. I’ll do you one better and give you my predicted 15-man rotation (at the time of this write-up, one roster spot remains open).

Starting Five: Acuff, LaVine, Hunter, Murray, Sabonis

Second Unit: Monk, Sharp, Clifford, Achiuwa, Raynaud

Third Unit: Simmons, Plowden, Alex Karaban, Jonathan Mogbo, Dylan Cardwell

The biggest conundrum the Kings have is at center. Raynaud is an incredible scorer who’s beginning to blossom into a stretch-big. Cardwell is their only center that provides consistent interior defense. While that sounds great, he is also prone to fouling and can struggle finishing around the rim. Raynaud is likely to receive more minutes simply because he isn’t a liability in most facets down the stretch of games.

That being said, Cardwell will still receive minutes. Raynaud has likely separated himself from the second-year undrafted free agent, though. His excellent play for the French National Team likely solidified that fact.

Season Predictions

I’ve answered the LaVine question, so I’ll take one and three. There’s significant distance between the top 8 teams and the Kings, but they can match up with 9-15. The Kings can potentially finish second in the Pacific Division, over Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Warriors made few offseason moves; their two main signings were Brandon Williams and Georges Niang. The Clippers have been in the headlines lately due to the NBA’s investigation of them, which uncovered circumvention of the salary cap. The NBA stripped the Clippers of five first-round picks and fined and suspended several top team officials.

That being said, both teams have decent lineups. Stephen Curry alone elevates the Warriors’ floor. Pieces like Brandon Ingram, Darius Garland, and rookie Keaton Wagler will all positively contribute for the Clippers. The Los Angeles Lakers are the clear number one team in that division, led by superstar Luka Dončić.

I don’t think the Kings are going to be the worst team in the Western Conference. On the other hand, I also don’t see them making major waves.

As for how many games I’ll be attending… Only time will tell!

Depth as a Strength?

This is a great question to end with.

The Kings are quietly becoming a very deep team. This reader wrote this response before the Kings signed Simmons, and he can play the point or forward. Not to mention, two-way players like Mogbo add their own skills to the equation.

Injuries derailed last season, but it also gave younger pieces reps against the best of the best. In the wake of Sabonis’s absence, Raynaud started 56 games. That’s in-game experience that training camp and practice can’t provide. A healthy Kings team is quite formidable.

Signing Off

Thanks for reading, and to Kings fans for asking such thought-provoking questions. Kings supporters, you may worry that your team won’t win many games this year. On the contrary, you may expect great things. One thing’s for sure: this roster is a fun one.

Until next time!

The post Kings Mailbag, Answering Fans’ Biggest Questions appeared first on The Lead.

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