The Sacramento Kings' offseason will be interesting as several players are either unrestricted free agents or have team options. When the decisions are made, Russell Westbrook, Precious Achiuwa, and Devin Carter should still be there, while Drew Eubanks and Doug McDermott move on.
Sacramento has a bit of a problem in that the contracts they want to trade, they can't. Zach LaVine has a player option and will likely stay on for the payday. Domantas Sabonis has two more expensive full seasons left on his contract and is unlikely to get traded any time soon.
DeMar DeRozan is in a bit different situation. He's only guaranteed $10 million for the 2026-2027 season, meaning he's a likely candidate for a buyout from the Kings. And if they don't go that route, DeRozan will hopefully be much easier to trade with a contract that has fewer dollar signs on it.
At the same time, the Kings still need to make decisions this offseason about who stays and who goes. With several unrestricted free agents coming up, as well as at least one guy with a player option, there are about to be some big changes to the Kings.
Which Kings stay and which Kings leave?
No disrespect meant to either Drew Eubanks or Doug McDermott, but the likelihood of them continuing with the Kings is basically zero. Both players' contracts are up at the end of the season, and they spend the vast majority of their time on the bench. Keeping them seems unlikely.
Precious Achiuwa and Russell Westbrook are both free agents, as well. The Kings should extend Achiuwa as his defensive acumen is important to the team. Westbrook should also be extended. His veteran presence has been so important to the rookies on the team and their future development.
The big question is Devin Carter, who has two years left on his contract, but they are both team options. Sacramento has been playing him more recently, and he has shown drastic improvement. He has the potential to fit in well with the Kings' new direction, so giving him another season seems likely.
There are no guarantees. Sacramento could choose to let all five players walk to break the rebuild wide open. But it's been said before, and it's worth saying again, that this rebuild is as much about who the Kings keep as it is who they let go. Fans can only hope they make the right choices.