The Sacramento Kings appear to have some direction heading into this season, with a bevy of young players ready to help steer the franchise into contention.
Sacramento is coming off its second-worst season in program history, going 22-60 in the Western Conference and sitting at the bottom of the standings for a majority of the regular season. However, recent draft picks Darius Acuff Jr. and Alex Karaban appear primed to help lead the youth movement the Kings hope will lift them out of the bottom of the West.
General manager Scott Perry will enter his second full season at the helm and will look toward veterans Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray to help guide the Kings, who haven't made the playoffs since breaking the 16-season drought in 2023.
ESPN's staff of experts is looking back at the offseason and taking an early look at the 2026-27 season for all 30 teams, with 30 pieces -- one for every team -- rolling out each weekday through Sept. 18. We're answering the biggest looming questions, evaluating X factors and much more.
Let's dive into the Kings, who made some important contract decisions this summer:
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Offseason at a glance
Key additions: G Darius Acuff Jr., F Alex Karaban, G Emanuel Sharp Key subtractions: G DeMar DeRozan, G Russell Westbrook Key retentions: F Precious Achiuwa
Perry, currently in the organization's power seat, is continuing a steady transition toward the younger core he has drafted. Arkansas guard and No. 7 pick Acuff is the spotlight name on a roster populated with six players in their first two NBA seasons.
But they still have notable high-minute holdovers from the past regime, including Murray, Malik Monk, LaVine and Sabonis. Of those four, Murray appears the most locked-in as a stable member of the team's long-term vision. Perry explored trades for Monk, LaVine and Sabonis over the past year, but didn't value the proposed returns, and the three are expected to open the season in Sacramento. -- Anthony Slater
Zach Kram's offseason grade: C
The Kings saved money by trading 2024 lottery pick Devin Carter and waiving DeRozan, who had a partially guaranteed 2026-27 deal. But they've otherwise been inactive this summer.
At least they'll have more financial flexibility in future offseasons, with LaVine ($49.0 million) and De'Andre Hunter ($24.9 million) coming off the books next summer and Sabonis ($94.1 million over the next two seasons) set to reach free agency in 2028. -- Kram