When the 2025-2026 season started, the Sacramento Kings were in trouble at the five. They had one All-Star, a couple of rookies, and bench filler. With half the season in the bag, the Kings now have four reliable big men to work with, which has already changed the way the team both scores and defends.
Domantas Sabonis is a good center in a number of ways. He's an incredible rebounder, not to mention an elite scorer and playmaker when the offense is run through him. The problem is that he's not much on defense, which is a major issue when your team needs elite rim protection.
This situation got even worse when the Kings traded Jonas Valanciunas, arguably the best backup center in the league, away in the offseason for Dario Saric. Sacramento did this for financial reasons, but it created a giant problem at center.
When Sabonis was on the court, there was offensive production but little to no defense in the paint. And when he was off the court, offensive production at center waned and the Kings still had no rim protection. It was a bad situation that was only looking like it was going to get worse.
The Kings made some key additions with some big players
Now, Sacramento is heading into the trade deadline, and the five looks a lot different. Sabonis has recently returned from an injury. Rookies Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell have found their footing quickly. And Precious Achiuwa is on the roster, playing generally great basketball.
The Kings went from having one center to rely on to having four bigs who can rotate through the position. Sacramento even has the option to put one big man in at the five while getting another in at power forward. For the first time in a long time, the Kings can put some real size on the court.
On top of that, Raynaud, Cardwell, and Achiuwa are all better defenders than Sabonis. This means the Kings can put him on the court with one of them riding shotgun to help out on defense. It's a major change that has led to a somewhat improved presence on that end of the court for Sacramento.
Still, that hasn't really translated into wins. This group is still working out a new rhythm with Sabonis back, and he might get traded before it all falls into place. That may be for the best, as Raynaud, Cardwell, and Achiuwa seem to work better without Domantas in the mix.