Projecting what the Sacramento Kings' starting lineup might realistically look like in 2025-26

Listen, you should never count your chickens before the eggs hatch. And you also probably shouldn't worry about the 2025-26 season before the 2024-25 one has even begun. However, we are in the dreaded dead period of the NBA news cycle, and we've already looked at the projected starting lineup for 2024-25. So, why don't we just have some fun here?

With this in mind, here's my guess on the Kings' realistic starting five in 2025-26.

Kings Project To Have A Lot Of Continuity

Before we talk about their 2025-26 starting lineup, let's remind ourselves who will likely be starting in 2024-25. As of right now, De'Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis are all locks to be in the starting five. Meanwhile, the fifth spot will be filled by one of Malik Monk, Keon Ellis, or Kevin Huerter (barring any trades).

All seven of those players are under contract (or have team options) for the 2025-26 season (per Spotrac). So, the Kings can keep them all in the mix if they so please.

Fox, Sabonis, and Murray are pretty integral parts of this team's current core, so we can assume that they will realistically be starting in 2025-26. And unless he has a steep decline in his age-35 season, DeRozan's pedigree should keep him in the starting lineup for that season, too.

That leaves us with just one spot. I have been on the record as saying that Ellis is the Kings' best option to start at shooting guard (because of his strong role player skillset). However, I don't think the Kings will start this upcoming season with him as their starter.

What is more likely is that Huerter starts the season as the starting two-guard (like he has been for the last two years when he's been healthy), and then the sharpshooter gets moved midseason or next offseason in a deal that helps them add some more functional size.

From there, the Kings may take some time to learn that Monk is better coming off the bench than as a starting shooting guard (at least on this team). Once that happens, they will realize Ellis is the ideal option and make him their starting shooting guard of the future.

In that world, the Kings starting lineup in 2025-26 would be Fox, Ellis, DeRozan, Murray, and Sabonis.

An Alternate Universe

We mentioned a potential Huerter trade. Another outcome I could see playing out is that the Kings trade Huerter for a power forward. In this hypothetical, we will say that the player is Cameron Johnson (someone they have been connected to).

If that happens, and let's say DeRozan does show some slippage, the Kings could put Johnson in the starting lineup to give themselves more spacing and length and let DeRozan come off the bench to form a dynamic two-man tandem with Monk.

In that situation, the lineup would be Fox, Ellis, Murray, Johnson, and Sabonis.