No one knows what the Sacramento Kings are trying to do.

In the two seasons since their breakthrough playoff appearance in 2023, the Kings’ front office has slowly dismantled what was once a promising team.

Now, Sacramento is left with three former NBA All-Stars whose on-court fit could not have been any worse. All three of Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine are ball-dominant players who best operate within the three-point arc. What makes matters even worse is that this trio’s work on the defensive end is passable at best.

Given this peculiar roster, the Kings are likely to wind up with a record within the range of last season’s 40-42 finish, leaving them in what seems to be this franchise’s favorite place to be–the race for the play-in tournament.

WHAT’S NEW?

After trading away De’Aaron Fox at last season’s trade deadline, Sacramento closed out the campaign with a mix of career journeymen and shoot-first shooting guards running the point for them. This prompted them to sign two point guards, Dennis Schröder and Russell Westbrook, during the offseason.

Schroder is coming off another stellar summer campaign with the German national team, though he has never been able to fully translate this success to the NBA. Meanwhile, the 36-year-old Westbrook is joining his seventh NBA franchise after an offseason where he struggled to find suitable offers.

These two are far from the type of pass-first point guard that the Kings desperately need to help stitch together their roster. What they do bring to the table though are their feisty attitudes that will ensure that Sacramento will never go down without a fight.

BIGGEST QUESTIONS

At this point, everything is a question for these Kings. 

What’s the point of putting together this roster? This team is far from capable of even competing for one of the six guaranteed playoff spots in the West. On the other hand, they are too good to fall to the bottom of the standings to give them increased lottery odds–something that should have been a given for them considering that they own their 2026 first round pick.

The direction of this team is uncertain, but when has it ever not been? The mystery surrounding this Sacramento team continues…

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Keegan Murray, the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, is probably the only player on this roster whom the Kings fans can anchor their hopes for the future on. But even then, the incoming fourth-year forward is already at quite an advanced age at 25 for a “young” prospect.

However, Murray will be starting the season on the sidelines and is expected to make his debut late next month as he continues to rehabilitate a thumb injury. Once he returns to the court, it is difficult to imagine him having a major role on offense for this team as he is likely to fall behind Sabonis, DeRozan, and LaVine in their pecking order–and maybe even Monk and Westbrook. 

REASON FOR OPTIMISM/CONCERN

Nothing much, but at the very least, this team’s local fans can celebrate the fact that this franchise has not been relocated elsewhere. The market for Sabonis, DeRozan, and LaVine is likely to be weak which further complicates any hopes of this team finally hitting the reset button.