Most mock drafts post-lottery have the Sacramento Kings going with a young point guard like Darius Acuff Jr. He would be a great choice, but they should consider forward Yaxel Lendeborg. If they do go that route, they definitely don't need De'Andre Hunter anymore and should trade him asap.
Hunter was part of the only trade the Kings completed before the 2026 deadline. Sacramento sent Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder to the Cavaliers, while Dario Saric ended up with the Bulls. That began a quickly cascading series of events that effectively ended Saric's NBA career. He's not bitter at all.
That same trade moved Hunter from Cleveland to Sacramento. A capable 3&D wing, he added frontcourt depth to the roster as well as offensive versatility. Well, he would have if Hunter hadn't been knocked out for the season by a crazy eye injury halfway through his second game as a King.
In truth, bringing in Hunter to Sacramento was more about creating roster flexibility. The three-team trade opened up room for the Kings to move breakout rookie Dylan Cardwell from a two-way contract to a standard one. Frankly, Hunter has served his purpose on the roster at this point.
Lendeborg is better for the Kings than Hunter
With the 2026 NBA Draft only a few weeks away, most projections show the Kings using their first-round pick to get a new point guard. That doesn't mean there aren't other options, like Michigan's skeleton-key forward, Yaxel Lendeborg. His incredible versatility would be huge for any team.
That includes the Kings, who could definitely use Lendeborg in their rebuild. He would be a better fit with the young roster they are currently building than Hunter. He would play incredibly well with Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, Dyaln Cardwell, Devin Carter, Killian Hayes, and Precious Achiuwa
At the same time, there have always been questions about Hunter's fit. Truthfully, his trade was only to make room for the Cardwell move. Hunter is a perfectly good player, but he's also not as good a fit as a forward for the Kings as Lendeborg in the long term. As such, a move has to be made.
If the Kings draft Lendeborg, and they should, Sacramento needs to trade Hunter as soon as possible, preferably for future draft picks. This is a scenario that continues the rebuilding process by giving the Kings a massive developmental player now and still getting assets for the next stage.
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