The Sacramento Kings projected starting lineup after trading for DeMar DeRozan

Now that the Sacramento Kings have made a big splash in free agency – adding a marquee player like DeMar DeRozan to their roster – everyone is excited about the upcoming season. And one thing fans love talking about when waiting for a new season to begin is what the starting five will look like after some significant changes to the roster.

So, with that in mind, what will the Kings' starting five be heading into the 2024-25 season?

The First Four Are Solidified

While there were some ancillary pieces involved, the main part of the sign-and-trade involved swapping out one starter (Harrison Barnes) for DeRozan. While he has played a lot of power forward over the last few years, based on the size of our other starting forward (more on this in a second), DeRozan will likely slot in at small forward.

Next, you can bet the house that (barring any unforeseen injuries) franchise pillars De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis will be starting at point guard and center, respectively.

Now, back to that other forward spot. Keegan Murray has started all but two of the 157 games he's played in so far in his young career. In trade talks for Brandon Ingram, he was said to be unavailable. The Kings view him as an integral part of their core, and you can basically guarantee that he will be starting. And given his superior size (6'11 wingspan compared to DeRozan's 6'9), he will probably be the one to start at power forward.

That takes care of four of the five starting spots. Now, the big question becomes: who will fill out the fifth one?

Who Will Be The Kings Starting Shooting Guard Next Season?

As of right now, there are three candidates to don the mantle of starting shooting guard. We have Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter, and Keon Ellis.

Monk is the one that gets paid the most of the three (and he's one of the best combo guards in the league). However, given all the on-ball creation that already exists in the starting lineup (between Fox and DeRozan), he may be best utilized anchoring bench lineups as he has for the past two seasons (remember, he finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting last year).

Huerter is the one who has filled that role whenever he's been healthy over the last two years. His movement shooting and spacing fit well alongside Fox, Sabonis, and DeRozan. The kicker is that he's coming off a down year after a strong inaugural campaign in Sacramento.

Lastly, there is Ellis, who, from a fit perspective, makes the most sense in this role. Ellis gives you a balanced blend of spacing (41.7% 3-point shooter) and perimeter defense (93rd percentile Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus) to even out the more offensively slanted Core Four. But in the same token, he's also the least proven of the three, as evidenced by him still having to participate in the summer league.

In my opinion, I think you should keep Monk as your sixth man and start the year off with Huerter (if he is still on the roster). Maybe last year was just an anomaly (great shooters have had down seasons before), and Huerter will see a return to form in 2024-25. If that's the case, you don't want to risk hurting his confidence by moving him to the bench right away.

If Huerter doesn't bounce back, the Kings can promote Ellis to the starting lineup and lean on his two-way impact to balance out their starting lineup.

Kings Projected Starting Lineup

PG: De'Aaron Fox

SG: Kevin Huerter

SF: DeMar DeRozan

PF: Keegan Murray

C: Domantas Sabonis