It should come as no surprise that De'Andre Hunter is done for the season. That's the kind of run the Sacramento Kings have been on. Yet, they are continuing their rebuild by signing Killian Hayes and Patrick Baldwin Jr. At this point, there's no harm in trying out players to see what works.
Despite finally picking up a win after a 16-game slide, the Kings are still having a brutal season. They remain at the absolute bottom of the league with no time left in the season left to turn things around. It's not like they want to, either. Being the worst gives them a better shot at that number one pick.
A major part of the problem has been injuries. The Kings' projected starting lineup never played a single minute together in the regular season. Now, the 2025-2026 campaign for players like Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis is over thanks to surgeries on those same injuries.
You can add De'Andre Hunter to that list. The only new player the Kings acquired before the trade deadline, Hunter was hit with an eye injury in his second game with the team. Surgery has now benched him for the remainder of the season. Fortunately, the Kings' weren't expecting a title run.
New losses means new additions to the Kings
Having multiple players injured and out for the season opens up room to try out new talent. Being that's going to be a big part of the rebuild, there's no time like now to throw some spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks. The Kings are basically in garbage time, and should lean into it.
Sacramento recently signed Killian Hayes to a 10-day contract. the point guard was drafted seventh by the Pistons in 2020, and played there for a few seasons. He's spent the last couple of years in the G League. He's methodical shooter and a solid defender, though he lacks explosiveness
On top of that, Sacramento also signed Patrick Baldwin Jr. to a two-way contract. The Warriors drafted him 28th in 2022, but he's bounced between multiple NBA and G League teams ever since. He's a fundamentally sound shooter with a lot of unrealized potential, both on offense and defense.
At the respective ages of 24 and 23, both Hayes and Baldwin could find a rhythm with a young team on a rebuild course like Sacramento. If not, the Kings can move on and work on finding better fits. The same is true of Hunter, once he returns from injury and the Kings get a real chance to work with him.