The Sacramento Kings are working their way through a long-overdue rebuild process. Keeping in mind that there are a lot of moving parts in this effort, the 2026 NBA Draft is going to be a major step on the path. It won't define the rebuild, but it will have a huge impact on it.
Sacramento has needed this rebuild for at least 20 years. After the Rick Adelman era came to an end, the Kings all but lost their identity. They have struggled to find any kind of rhythm since then. Going through 13 head coaches since 2006 definitely hasn't been conducive to that effort.
Beyond that, the front office and ownership have done a poor job of building a competitive roster. Even changes in both those key groups didn't seem to fix things. Sacramento continued to field imbalanced rosters that struggled to find regular-season relevance, let alone postseason success.
That's why this rebuild that current general manager Scott Perry is spearheading is so important. It's the first time in two decades that this franchise has taken building a proper roster seriously. This process started with the 2025 NBA Draft, and the next step is around the corner.
The 2026 NBA Draft will be huge for the Kings
In a couple of weeks, the 2026 NBA Draft will go down. For quite some time, pundits have been saying that this is one of the most stacked draft classes in years, possibly of all time. The level of talent in it is impressive and runs through both the first and second rounds. It's a game-changer.
Unless they pull off some sort of trade magic before June 23rd, the Kings have the seventh pick in the first round as well as 34 and 45 in the second. That gives them three opportunities to add some serious talent to the growing youth movement at the core of the rebuild process.
This will be important for development, growth, and possibly even trades down the road. Not every player they draft will end up working for the Kings, but they could be part of trades for someone who does. It's all part of the journey for Sacramento as they build towards something different.
At the same time, it's also important to remember that this isn't the only step on that journey. There's also free agency to deal with this season, as well as potential trade deadline moves. And there's always the 2027 NBA Draft. This year's draft is important, but the rebuild is bigger than it.
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