Everyone knows that the Sacramento Kings are in a rough place financially. And they need to sort it out sooner rather than later because it could ruin free agency for them. At this point, they'll be lucky to hang onto the free agents currently on the roster, let alone make any serious additions.
The Kings are stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to payroll. Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis are each making between $45 and 49 million next season, while four other players are in the $20 to $26 million range. Even worse, there's not a lot of movement to be made.
Based on the current roster, Sacramento is projected to be more than $82 million over the 2026-2027 salary cap. There are teams that are worse off than them, but most aren't trying to work their way through a massive rebuild of their roster. It's hard to make moves with less than no money.
This is going to be a massive problem. Sacramento has several free agents on the roster they'd probably like to keep, such as Russell Westbrook, Precious Achiuwa, and Daeqwon Plowden. On top of that, they may want to make some free agency additions in the offseason. Not happening.
Sacramento's office needs to make bold moves
During the 2025 offseason, many Kings' fans expected Scott Perry, who was only a few months on the job as the new general manager, to make big changes. That didn't really happen, though it was unrealistic to expect otherwise. He was new and stuck with some really bad contracts.
The 2026 offseason has to be a different story. Perry has said that buying contracts out is a last resort for the Kings. He might have to play that card soon to keep the rebuild train rolling. The Kings need to move Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and De'Andre Hunter as soon as possible.
Sacramento has to get these players off the books to make room for free agent signings. Again, there are at least three free agents on the roster the Kings have to hang onto. They also need to make roster changes over the summer, either through trades or through buyouts.
Perry has been preaching patience, which is a good thing. At the same time, this is a team that needs big moves to push this rebuild forward. It will be up to Perry and his crew to decide when to be patient and when to be bold. Regardless, both styles will be necessary to get the Kings to a better place.
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