ESPN recently released their NBA Summer Forecast for 2026-2027. It projects the Sacramento Kings will be last in the Western Conference with 19 wins and 63 losses. No one thinks the Kings are contenders this year, but that projection seems borderline disrespectful to a changing roster.
Sacramento finished with the fifth-worst record in the league last season. Their 22 and 60 record was nowhere near the playoffs, though they did pick up the pace a bit during the last few weeks of 2025-2026. That arguably cost them a better draft position, but they still did really well with their picks.
Apparently, no one expects the Kings to do any better in 2026-2027. Previous projections show the Kings going 21.5 and 60.5, which is hard to wrap your mind around. More recently, ESPN thinks the Kings will only win 19 games this season. The only team in the league with a worse record is the Nets.
The rationalization around this bleak prediction is that the Kings are rebuilding with a young core while relying on a rookie point guard in Darius Acuff Jr. to lead them. Those are actually all fair points. Still, this projection underestimates the quality of talent the Kings have and their determination.
Sacramento is in a better place than some seem to think
No one is crazy here. The Kings are not contenders. They're not going to make the playoffs anytime soon. Breaking .500 would blow minds. They will most likely finish in the bottom five teams in the Western Conference. Yet, they are still going to win more than 19 games.
Just last season, Dylan Cardwell, Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, and Precious Achiuwa proved how effective they can be as a unit. Now, they have a bit more experience and a lot more confidence. Add the new rookies into the equation, and there is real potential this season for marginal improvement.
On top of that, a healthy starting core featuring Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, Zach LaVine, De'Andre Hunter, and Acuff could also find a rhythm. Having a proper point guard on the court, even a rookie, is going to make a huge difference for this roster, particularly the starters.
Plus, if the Kings have even half the games lost to injuries they had last season, that will be key. ESPN isn't wrong. The Kings will still be in the West's basement this season. But fans can expect them to win more games this season, maybe 25, which is sadly an improvement over 2025-2026.
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