If the Sacramento Kings completely drop the ball on this rebuild, no one would be surprised, especially their fans. Unfortunately, there are a number of ways this whole thing can go sideways. And that doesn't include their payroll problems with Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis.
No one is going to dispute that getting two of the worst contracts in the NBA off their books is a priority for the Kings. At the same time, trading them is going to be incredibly difficult, and LaVine is the only one of the two whom Sacramento would even remotely consider buying out.
Moving on from LaVine and Sabonis is a project that will take time, something pretty much everyone has accepted at this point. That's not the only work that needs to be done in the offseason. The Kings have some serious choices to make on their overall roster, particularly when it comes to free agents.
Sacramento has multiple players heading for free agency. That includes restricted, unrestricted, team options, and player options. Mixed into all of that are a wild number of potholes if the wrong players are lost or the wrong players are kept. That's just part of it.
The Kings have to play this very carefully
For Sacramento, the first step is to get through the draft. The Kings have a total of three picks in 2026, unless they start making moves with other teams. There is a range of mock drafts out there proposing different options for the first pick. A bad one could be problematic.
The same is true of free agency. Who the Kings keep and who they let walk is obviously a big part of how well this goes. There are also opportunities to make signings in free agency, limited though they may be with Sacramento's payroll issues. Again, another series of make-or-break decisions.
Beyond that, the Kings are constantly tied to any number of offseason trade rumors. That's not a surprise given how badly they want to move on from LaVine, Sabonis, and DeRozan. The pitfalls in any trade are only amplified by the Kings' current situation and perceived levels of desperation.
Sacramento's prior front offices have made notoriously terrible decisions in all of these areas over the years, often at the same time. The hope is that the Scott Perry-led team will handle their situation far better. If they don't, it could be a huge problem for the health of the Kings' franchise as a whole.
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