The Sacramento Kings have been keeping a surprising number of players off the court during the 2026 preseason. While there are a couple of injuries in the mix, people are starting to wonder if there's more going on than the Kings have openly discussed. It bodes poorly for the season.
At this point, everyone is aware of the cavalcade of insanity that trampled the Kings last season. They walked into 2025-2026 as one of the biggest underdogs in the league, then got decimated by injuries. It was impossible to find a rhythm or get any kind of momentum behind them.
While a team can manage the health of their players to extent, they can't prevent or predict most injuries. It's part of being a professional athlete. Yet, better roster management, spreading minutes around, and monitoring workload can help mitigate this situation, even if it's only a small amount.
The Kings' 2026-2027 season is off to an odd start
In the preseason, the Kings have acknowledged two injured players. Dylan Cardwell is currently working through a calf strain while Maxime Raynaud is dealing with a knee injury. There's no official timeline for either player's return, though Raynaud will likely miss the first few regular season games.
But there's more than that going on, and I'm not the only one who is suspicious. Matt George over at Sactown Sports 1140 is also getting a weird vibe off this situation. A prime example is Darius Acuff, who limped off the court after losing to the Warriors and didn't play against the Blazers.
Beyond that, other players like Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and Ben Simmons have barely played in the preseason. Taking that a step further, the Kings' projected starting lineup has yet to play a single minute together in the preseason. The whole thing feels a little dicey.
What aren't the Kings saying right now?
Given Simmons' injury history, the Kings could be playing it safe. The same could be true with whatever Acuff was dealing with after facing off with Stephen Curry. And the Kings may also just be using this time to evaluate their secondary and bench players to decide who fits in where.
That being said, it's a little odd to see Leaky Black, who is on an Exhibit-10 contract, start a game and get well over 31 minutes. He did reasonably well, but Malik Monk hasn't touched the court in the preseason. Why is he not getting any minutes in this pivotol warm up time?
It really feels like the Kings are keeping their cards close, and both the media and the fans are starting to wonder what's up in Sactown. Hopefully, the regular season doesn't begin with the announcment of additional injuries to key players. Honestly, Cardwell and Raynaud being out is already too much.
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